Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of online sales of alcohol to minors since 2010.

Norman Baker: The Home Office does not collect or hold statistics on underage sales of alcohol and no assessment has been made of the number of online sales of alcohol to minors.
	The Government has made it clear that underage selling cannot be tolerated. All licensed premises, including those conducting online sales, are required to have an age verification policy in place. The Government has doubled the maximum fine to £20,000 for persistent under-age sales and increased the powers available to the police and local authorities to deal with the offence of persistently selling alcohol to children. It has also issued statutory guidance for licensing authorities under the Licensing Act 2003 which specifically covers online sales.

Dogs: Imports

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures her Department has in place to (a) safeguard biosecurity and (b) protect against animal welfare violations regarding the importing of dogs from Eastern Europe to the UK.

George Eustice: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Every dog, cat and ferret entering the UK must be vaccinated against rabies, with the details of the treatment recorded in an EU pet passport or third country certificate. Dogs, cats and ferrets entering from the EU or from lower risk non-EU countries must wait 21 days after vaccination before travelling. More stringent rules are in place for those coming from higher risk non-EU countries. These include a blood test 30 days after vaccination followed by a three-month wait before travelling. Dogs travelling from countries other than Ireland, Finland, and Malta and Norway must also be treated against the Echinococcus multilocuiaris tapeworm one to five days prior to arrival in the UK. Dogs, cats and ferrets imported for sale or rehoming under the commercial import rules are subject to the same requirements as well as additional rules including a clinical examination by an authorised veterinarian prior to travel.
	The UK operates a robust checking regime to make sure that dogs entering the UK do not pose a risk to animal and human health. Ferry, rail and air operators are approved to carry pets on the basis that they check every pet dog, cat or ferret travelling with its owner for compliance with the rules of the EU Pet Travel Scheme. Meanwhile dogs, cats and ferrets imported for sale or rehoming are subject to risk-based post import checks.
	The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 includes a provision that pet animals should not be transported “in a way which causes or is likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering”. Transporters of dogs imported in connection with an economic activity are subject to the requirements of Council Regulation 1/2005.

Firearms: Licensing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she or Ministers in her Department have had with (a) Association of Chief Police Officers and (b) Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) about HMIC conducting a review of police forces' performance in issuing and monitoring firearms certificates; and if she will make it her policy to request HMIC undertake such a review.

Damian Green: Firearms licensing is one of the thematic inspections that Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is currently considering for its 2014-15 inspection programme.
	HMIC is required by law to seek the approval of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), before laying its annual inspection programme before Parliament. The possible need for a thematic inspection on firearms licensing will be one of the issues the Home Secretary will take into consideration when deciding whether to approve the Inspectorate's programme of work for 2014-15.
	This decision will be partly based on advice from the National Policing Lead for Firearms and Explosives on the benefits of an inspection as a means of assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the licensing process.

Immigration Bill

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to conduct a full child rights impact assessment of the Immigration Bill covering (a) its effect on both migrant and British children, (b) the implications of Article 8 of the European Convention in Human Rights for Clause 14, (c) healthcare charges and (d) immigration checks by landlords in the private rental sector; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is committed to considering the impact of all new policies and legislation, including where they impact specifically on children. Careful regard has been had to the best interests of children in the UK in framing the provisions of the Immigration Bill. We are satisfied that the Bill, including the provisions on article 8, healthcare charges and landlords, is compatible with our obligations under the UN convention on the rights of the child and with the children's duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009. The Home Office has published an impact assessment of the Immigration Bill and a European Convention on Human Rights Memorandum, and has no plans to conduct a separate child rights impact assessment.

Immigration Controls

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the security risk caused by the boarding pass exchange at Gatwick arrivals, where Irish and Channel Islands passengers mix with passengers needing passports to go through UK Border Control.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 March 2014
	Irish and Channel Islands passengers share the International Arrivals Hall at Gatwick South but are dealt with separately. Intelligence-led exercises undertaken at Gatwick airport by the Border Force since 2011 have not identified any specific abuse of the Common Travel Area but nevertheless the Border Force has local standard operating procedures in place to mitigate any new threats as they emerge.
	Gatwick Airport Ltd has responsibility for the security and integrity of the CTA Channel and operates it robustly to the satisfaction of Border Force.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 12 February 2014, Official Report, column 713, on police integrity, what progress has been made towards ensuring that those officers under investigation for misconduct are not allowed to avoid sanctions or charges through leaving the force; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: If an allegation is criminal, an investigation will always be pursued to conclusion. When the allegation concerns a breach of professional standards and a case to answer for gross misconduct has been established, officers who submit their resignation will be added to a list of struck off officers held by the College of Policing. The Home Office and College of Policing are currently finalising arrangements to make that list public. Officers who are under investigation for gross misconduct, but who leave a police force before a case to answer has been established, will also be added to this list where the chief officer of the force feels that this would be appropriate having reviewed the case, including where the resignation is a ploy to evade the finding of a case to answer.

Social Networking: Radicalism

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking via social media to help tackle misinformation from extremist and radicalisation groups.

James Brokenshire: We know terrorist and extremist groups make extensive use of the internet and social media to spread their propaganda. The PM-chaired Extremism Taskforce established in the wake of the Woolwich attack made a number of recommendations for combating extremist propaganda, particularly online. The report from the ETF can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-extremism-in-the-uk-report-by-the-extremism-taskforce
	Under the Government's Prevent strategy, which aims to stop people becoming involved in and supporting terrorism, our approach to challenging extremism online involves working with industry, law enforcement, civil society groups and the public. We have worked with digital communications experts to help civil society groups exploit the potential of the internet, and we will be expanding this work in line with ETF recommendations.
	This Government takes action against illegal terrorist content online. The police's Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) has removed over 26,000 pieces of illegal terrorist content online since February 2010. Under the proposed EFT measures, we are looking to further restrict access to illegal content hosted overseas. We are also working with industry to identify harmful extremist material to include within family friendly filters, to try to bring consistency to industry terms of use in respect of extremist content and to make it easier for the public to refer material of concern.

Terrorism

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters of comfort have been sent since May 2010.

Theresa Villiers: The term "letter of comfort" is not the appropriate terminology in this instance. Under the administrative scheme for dealing with so called 'on-the-runs', 12 letters have been issued since May 2010 advising the recipients that they were not wanted for arrest on the date the letter issued.

Terrorism

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision there will be for members of the public to contribute to the independent inquiry into the on-the-run scheme announced by the Prime Minister on 27 February 2014.

Theresa Villiers: The independent review by Lady Justice Hallett will welcome submissions from members of the public. Details of how these submissions can be made will be announced shortly by the judge's Secretariat.

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  when his Department was first informed of the problem with the reactor cooling system at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment;
	(2)  whether his predecessor was informed of the problem with the reactor cooling systems at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment when he visited the facility on 2 April 2012;
	(3)  whether he was informed of the problem with the reactor cooling system at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment on taking office.

Alistair Carmichael: The Scotland Office was first notified in September 2012. With no safety or environmental risk in Scotland, there is no reason why the Scotland Office should have been notified at an earlier stage. As recognised by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, this occurrence was classed Level 0 (below scale—no safety significance) on the International Atomic Energy Agency scale. As made clear in the Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), statement to the House on 6 March 2014, Level 0 events are not routinely made public and are not routinely reported in either the civil or military nuclear sectors.
	The previous Secretary of State for Scotland visited the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment (NRTE) at Dounreay on 2 April 2012 for a meeting with Rolls Royce on their business priorities in Scotland. He did not meet MOD officials during the visit and the matter was not discussed with Rolls Royce.
	I was informed of the decision to refuel HMS Vanguard, including the background on the prototype core at Dounreay in February 2014 ahead of the Secretary of State for Defence's announcement to the House on 6 March 2014.

Energy: Billing

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the change in average household energy bills in Scotland since 2010.

Alistair Carmichael: We know rising energy bills are a serious concern for consumers in Scotland and across the rest of the UK. We are sustaining vital financial support for the most vulnerable consumers and have delivered a £50 reduction in energy bills by driving down the cost of the green levies.
	DECC publish bill estimates for Scotland in the DECC statistics publication Quarterly Energy Prices:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics
	The following table shows annual average domestic fuel bills in Scotland from 2010 to 2013:
	
		
			 Average annual fuel bill (£) 
			  Gas Electricity Total (£) 
			 2010 628 414 1,042 
			 2011 687 446 1,133 
			 2012 763 469 1,232 
			 2013 810 499 1,309 
			 Note: Bills expressed in cash terms

Direct Selling

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish an action plan for tackling nuisance calls.

Edward Vaizey: Tackling nuisance calls is one of my top priorities and we have achieved greater co-operation between the two regulators (the Office of Communications and the Information Commissioner's Office), improved guidance and information for consumers and also ensured more effective enforcement of the existing regulations. We will be publishing our Action Plan for nuisance calls shortly, which will set out the substantial progress that has been made so far, work under way and our future plans.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 424W, on secondments, to which private-sector organisations the civil servants in 2011-12 were seconded.

Helen Grant: In 2011-12, one civil servant in my Department was seconded to the following private sector organisations:
	
		
			 Name of private-sector organisation Number of civil servants 
			 LOCOG 1 
		
	
	In the answer I gave on 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 424W, I stated that two civil servants were seconded to private sector organisations. This answer was based on financial years, rather than calendar years. In fact, since 2010, three civil servants in the Department were seconded to the following private sector organisations.
	No civil servants were seconded to trade unions.
	
		
			 Number 
			 Financial year (a) Private sector (b) Trade unions 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 1 0 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 1 0 
			 April 2012 to March 2013 1 0 
			 April 2013 to date 0 0

Bus Services

Karen Lumley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the introduction of a salary sacrifice scheme for bus commuters.

David Gauke: Bus commuters, including the lowest earners, can already benefit from targeted tax incentives where employers provide free or subsidised work buses or they subsidise public bus services.
	Salary sacrifice arrangements can be operated in conjunction with these tax exemptions as long as all the statutory conditions are met. In particular, they cannot be used by the lowest earners working at or close to the national minimum wage.
	Additionally there is a tax exemption for small employment-related loans provided at less than commercial rates of interest which are often used to purchase season tickets. At Budget 2013 it was announced that the threshold for the small loans exemption limit would double from £5,000 to £10,000.

Business: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further fiscal steps he plans to take to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality sector.

David Gauke: The Government is committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business, and is taking steps to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality sector. At the autumn statement, the Government announced a package of business rates measures including extending the doubling of the small business rate relief for a further year from 1 April 2014. For two years from April 2014 there will be a new £1,000 business rates discount for small retail properties (including pubs, cafes and restaurants) with rateable values of below £50,000.
	To help with staff costs, from April 2014, the employment allowance will enable every business to deduct up to £2,000 from their employer NICs bill each year. From April 2015, employer national insurance contributions (NICs) for under 21-year-olds (i.e. aged 20 and under) on earnings up to £813 a week will be abolished, benefiting many employers in the hospitality sector.

Business: Government Assistance

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will include measures in the 2014 Budget Statement to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality sector.

David Gauke: In accordance with the practice of all administrations, it would not be proper to pre-empt the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget statement. However, the Government is committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business, and is taking steps to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the hospitality sector.
	At the autumn statement the Government announced a package of business rates measures including extending the doubling of the small business rate relief for a further year from 1 April 2014. For two years from April 2014 there will be a new £1,000 business rates discount to support small retail properties (including pubs, cafes, and restaurants) with rateable values of below £50,000.
	To help with staff costs, from April 2014 the employment allowance will enable every business to deduct up to £2,000 from their employer NICs bill each year. From April 2015, employer national insurance contributions (NICs) for under 21-year-olds (ie aged 20 and under) on earnings up to £813 a week will be abolished, benefiting many employers in the hospitality sector.

Corporation Tax: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in corporation tax by businesses registered in Wrexham constituency in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of such taxation was paid by small and medium-sized enterprises.

David Gauke: The amount of corporation tax liable for payment by businesses with a registered address in the Wrexham parliamentary constituency for accounting periods ending in financial year 2011-12 was £15 million. This is the latest year for which figures are available.
	Figures on the amount of tax paid, broken down by company size, are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. HMRC does hold information on corporation tax liability by the rates at which corporation tax is charged on companies’ chargeable profits. However, we are unable to disclose the proportionate breakdowns for Wrexham, as this would be a breach to HMRC’s statistical disclosure control policy to protect taxpayer confidentiality.

Exports

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK largest export industry by value is.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies), on 11 March 2014, Official Report, column 151W.

Housing: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to address levels of negative equity and home repossessions in Northern Ireland.

Sajid Javid: The Government recognises that many homeowners in Northern Ireland faced a significant fall in the value of their homes following the financial crisis, and that although the housing market is now showing signs of improvement, prices have been slower to recover than in some other parts of the UK.
	In terms of policies the UK Government is responsible for, the Pre-Action Protocol legislation, as well as the Financial Conduct Authority's rules, require that the repossession of a property must always be the last resort for lenders. This means that lenders must consider alternatives to repossession before they can take possession of a property.
	It is also worth being aware that the Financial Conduct Authority's rules prevent mortgage lenders from taking commercial advantage of customers who are in negative equity and therefore may not be able to remortgage to another provider. For example, lenders cannot charge customers higher fees and interest rates than other similar customers because they are in negative equity.
	The Northern Ireland Executive has devolved responsibility for social security and welfare-related policies related to support for homeowners, including the administration of Support for Mortgage Interest in Northern Ireland.

Minimum Wage: South East

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fines have been issued to employers in (a) Portsmouth South constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) the South East for non-payment of the national minimum wage in each year since 2010; and what the total value of such fines was in each such area.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforce the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.
	HMRC does not capture complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to Government regions, constituencies or county. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team based in that area.
	Prior to 6 April 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued penalty notices to those employers who failed to comply, within 28 days, with an enforcement notice. A new enforcement regime, introduced in April 2009, saw the introduction of automatic penalties for employers who are found to have underpaid their workers.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Corby (Andy Sawford) on 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 30W, for the number of companies that have received financial penalties from HM Revenue and Customs for non-payment of the minimum wage across the UK in the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13. Between 1 April 2013 and 28 February this year, HMRC has issued 561 penalties across the UK for non-payment of national minimum wage, with a combined value of £671,524.

Monetary Policy Committee

Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many women have been short-listed for positions on the Monetary Policy Committee since 2010; how many of those on each (a) short-listing panel and (b) appointments panel were women; and what steps he has taken to identify qualified female candidates and encourage them to apply;
	(2)  how many women were short-listed for the position of Deputy Governor of the Bank of England; how many of those on the (a) short-listing panel and (b) appointments panel were women; and what steps he took to identify qualified female candidates and encourage them to apply for that position.

Sajid Javid: Positions on the Monetary Policy Committee are advertised widely and are subject to open competition. Diversity is always an important consideration and the Government is always very keen to attract candidates from a wide range of backgrounds.
	Four women have served on the MPC:
	Rachel Lomax;
	Marian Bell;
	DeAnne Julius; and
	Kate Barker.
	The Government would like to see a greater number of women apply for future vacancies on the MPC and will continue to encourage them to do so.
	When Ian McCafferty was appointed in 2012, the chief economic adviser at the Treasury and chair of the Interview Panel sent a standard email to 66 people, of which 48% were women who may have been interested and suitable for the position. The purpose was to draw peoples' attention to the vacancy without prejudice. Of the five appointments made to the MPC since 2010, three had a woman sitting on the panel.
	The process to appoint the new Deputy Governor Monetary Policy is ongoing, and it would not be appropriate to reveal information of this kind before the process has concluded. The appointment panel, as published when the role was advertised, comprises:
	Sir Nicholas Macpherson;
	Sharon White;
	Dave Ramsden; and
	Sir David Lees.

Mortgages: Succession

Richard Harrington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had on the effects of Shared Appreciation Mortgage schemes on the status of estates left behind after the death of the loan applicant.

Sajid Javid: The Government is aware that approximately 15,000 Shared Appreciation Mortgages were sold in the late 1990s, with the subsequent increase in property prices resulting in many people owing more money than they had expected.
	The Financial Ombudsman Service has received a number of complaints from people who purchased shared appreciation mortgages and are alert to the issues involved. The Financial Ombudsman Service said in its Annual Review for 2003-04 that in most cases it had not upheld the shared appreciation mortgage mis-selling complaints it had received because it had concluded that the documents were extremely clear and the terms had been fully explained to the borrowers.
	Shared Appreciation Mortgages have been subject to conduct regulation since 2004. The Financial Conduct Authority have rules regarding the information that has to be disclosed before, during and after sale and, in addition, rules in respect of the advice that should be given to consumers.

Non-domestic Rates: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of small businesses in Brigg and Goole constituency which will be affected by the extension of the small business rate relief scheme to March 2015.

David Gauke: No estimate has been made by the Treasury of the number of small businesses in Brigg and Goole constituency that will be affected by the extension of the Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) scheme to March 2015, which was announced at Autumn Statement 2013.
	The Government estimates that around 540,000 small businesses in England will benefit from the extension of the SBRR and that around 60,000 of these small businesses will be in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Taxation: Mothers

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that the tax system does not disadvantage families with stay-at-home mothers.

David Gauke: The Government has taken a number of steps to help all families. For example, we have increased the income tax personal allowance, helping 25 million people. We have cut fuel duty. It now costs £7 less for a typical motorist to fill their tank, and it will cost £11 less by the end of the Parliament. We have also made funding available to help local authorities in England freeze their council tax for a third year in a row.
	Additionally, the Government will introduce the transferable tax allowance for married couples from April 2015. This will allow married couples and civil partner to transfer a fixed amount of their personal allow to their spouse. Doing so will benefit couples where one spouse does not currently use their full personal allowance.

VAT

Pauline Latham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings have accrued to the Exchequer as a result of lowering the Low Value Consignment Relief threshold in the 2011 Finance Bill from £18 to £15.

David Gauke: The low value consignment relief threshold for imports from non-EU countries was reduced from £18 to £15 in November 2011.
	This information request can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Wine and Spirit Trade Association

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will include in his Budget 2014 measures included in the wine and spirit trade association submission.

Nicky Morgan: The Government carefully considers all the representations it receives ahead of Budget.

Children's Centres

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effects of children's centre closures on the long-term development of children from disadvantaged families.

Elizabeth Truss: It is for local authorities, in line with their statutory duties, to ensure there are sufficient children's centres to meet local need and to consult, particularly with disadvantaged families, before opening or closing a children's centre or making significant changes to children's centre services. A recent survey by 4children showed that more families, over a million, than ever before are benefiting from children centre services.
	Information from local authorities shows that at 30 November 2013, 3,055 children's centres were open, and a further 501 additional sites were designated as children's centres in April 2010 that remain open and offer services to families and children as part of a network of children's centres. Information from local authorities show that only 65 have closed since April 2010 and six new centres have opened.

Commonwealth: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure children are taught about the Commonwealth during their primary school years.

Elizabeth Truss: Primary schools are free to decide whether pupils should be taught about the Commonwealth. The national curriculum for history at key stage 2 states that pupils should study an aspect or theme in British history beyond 1066, which schools can use to teach about the Commonwealth. At key stage 3 pupils should study British history from 1745 to 1901, including the development of Empire, which can include a depth study, for example of India. Later, they should study the challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world from 1901 to the present day, which can include the end of Empire and Britain's place in the world since 1945. Key stage 4 citizenship education covers the United Kingdom's current relations with Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world.

Free Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure free schools do not teach intolerance to their students.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has put in place robust processes to ensure the integrity of the free schools programme. Only free school applications that promote fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs in their teachings and policies will be approved. Extensive checks are also carried out on those setting up and running free schools.
	Free schools' funding agreements explicitly require them to promote fundamental British values and community cohesion, and preclude the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school. Free schools are also subject to the public sector equality duty, which requires them to have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people.
	Free schools are subject to regular inspection by Ofsted. Ofsted's inspection framework includes a focus on pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which enables inspectors to identify inappropriate practice.

Head Teachers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's target is for the number of (a) applications and (b) recruits to the Champions League of Head Teachers scheme.

David Laws: The Deputy Prime Minister, announced on 24 October 2013, in his speech on education and outstanding leaders, that the Government will be setting up a programme to get outstanding leaders into the schools that need them the most. At the North of England Education Conference, I announced the new Talented Leaders Programme.
	The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) is leading an open and competitive tender process to contract a provider to deliver the Talented Leaders Programme. The tender process started in January 2014 and will end in April 2014 when the contract will be awarded.
	The programme has a target within its first two years to recruit and deploy 100 talented leaders to headship positions in schools facing challenging circumstances.

National Curriculum Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has given on the proportion of the questions in the revised Key Stage 2 Mathematics tests which should be (a) real life problems and (b) abstract arithmetical calculations.

Elizabeth Truss: At present, no guidance has been published on the tests of the new national curriculum to be administered from the academic year 2015 to 2016. Guidance on the nature of the revised key stage 1 and key stage 2 tests, including mathematics, will be published by the Standards and Testing Agency in the form of test framework documents. The frameworks are due to be released as part of the Government's response to the primary assessment and accountability consultation. In addition, some example test questions will be made available to schools this summer and a full sample test will be made available in the summer of 2015.

Pupil Exclusions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students were permanently excluded from school for violence against a member of staff in 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: Any form of violence in school is completely unacceptable. The Government expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur.
	Data collected on the reasons for exclusion includes information on physical assault and verbal abuse or threatening behaviour against an adult, but not specifically against members of staff. The terms ‘physical assault' and ‘verbal abuse', as collected in the school census, cover a range of offences. Further detail on the reasons covered under each of these terms is published as part of the Schools Census Guidance1.
	The number of permanent exclusions for these reasons has been falling in recent years. In the 2011/12 academic year there were 550 permanent exclusions for physical assault against an adult compared with 580 in 2009/10. In addition, there were 470 permanent exclusions for verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult2 in 2011/12 compared to 630 in 2009/10. Exclusion data for the 2012/13 academic year will be available in summer 2014.
	1 Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-census
	2 Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-from-schools-in-england-2011-to-2012-academic-year

Pupils: Absenteeism

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in which (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each local authority area more than (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 30 and (iv) 40 per cent of pupils were classified as persistent absentees in the latest year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The requested information has been placed in the House Library.
	The last full year for which data is available is 2011/12. Overall persistent absence fell by 15% from 2010/11 to 2011/12, from 379,035 pupils missing 15% of school time in 2010/11 to 320,880 in 2011/12.
	In 2011/12, there were 300 state-funded primary schools and 661 state-funded secondary schools with a persistent absentee rate of 10% or higher compared to 700 state-funded primary schools and 981 state-funded secondary schools in 2010/11.
	The number of pupils missing 15% or more of school is down from 450,330 in the first two terms of 2010/11 to 310,580 in the first two terms of 2012/13.

Religion: Education

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of religious education lessons were taught by non-subject specialists in each of the last five years.

David Laws: The following table shows the proportion of hours of religious education lessons taught by teachers with no relevant post A-level qualification in religious education. The data was collected in November 2010, 2011 and 2012 and represents a typical week's lessons in religious education as taught by publicly funded secondary schools in England. Data is not available on a consistent basis before 2010.
	
		
			  Proportion of hours of religious education lessons taught by non-specialist1 teachers 
			 2012 28.9 
			 2011 27.2 
			 2010 27.2 
			 1 Non-specialist defined as those teachers with no relevant post A-level qualification in the subject. Source: School Workforce Census 
		
	
	This information is from Table 14 of the Statistical First Releases 'School Workforce in England', November 2010, 2011 and 2012. The tables are published online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2012
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2011
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2010-provisional

Religion: Education

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many specialist religious education teachers there were in England in each of the last five years.

David Laws: The following table shows the estimated total number of teachers who teach religious education (RE) and the proportion who are deemed to be a “specialist” as they hold a relevant post-A level qualification in the subject. The figures provided are for November 2010 to November 2012 and represent teachers working in publicly-funded secondary schools in England.
	
		
			  Estimated number of RE1 teachers (thousand) Proportion of RE1 teachers who are a “specialist”2 (%) Estimated number of “specialist” RE1 teachers (thousand) 
			 2012 15.4 46.3 7.1 
			 2011 16.5 44.7 7.4 
			 2010 15.5 45.5 7.1 
			 1 Includes philosophy. 2 Specialist defined as those teachers with any relevant post A-level qualification in the subject. Source: School Workforce Census 
		
	
	While the table shows that the majority of RE teachers are non-specialist, we know specialist teachers tend to teach more hours. Specialist RE teachers taught 71.1% of the hours taught in November 2012, compared to non-specialists who taught 28.9% of the hours.
	This information is from Table 13 of the Statistical First Releases ‘School Workforce in England’, November 2010, 2011 and 2012. They are available at the following links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2012
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2011
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2010-provisional

Schools: Admissions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will publish the Statistical First Release Admission appeals in maintained primary and secondary schools in England: academic year 2011 to 2012.

David Laws: There was no admission appeals data collected for 2011/12 or 2012/13 while improvements were made to the collection process. These improvements were to make the collection more timely and to include admission appeals for academies, which were not previously included.
	Data on admission appeals for the 2013/14 academic year is currently being collected and is scheduled for publication in July 2014.

Teachers: Job Satisfaction

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the importance of the morale of teachers.

David Laws: We routinely receive representations about teacher morale in the course of our ongoing discussions with teachers' representatives, including trade unions. We also regularly receive public correspondence relating to the issue.
	The Government places enormous value on good quality teachers, and we are committed to supporting the profession by reducing bureaucracy, trusting teachers to exercise their professional judgment, and ensuring that good teaching is properly recognised and rewarded.
	It is very encouraging that so many good people are choosing a career in teaching; for example, teaching is now the number one destination for graduates from Oxford university. We are proud to have many thousands of dedicated, hard-working individuals in our schools, delivering high-quality education to their pupils.
	A recent survey for TheTimes Educational Supplement found that teachers generally feel positive about the work they do. Last year, the Varkey GEMS Foundation's Global Teacher Status Index found levels of public respect for the teaching profession in England were higher than in Finland or Germany.

Teachers: Political Impartiality

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department provides to teachers to be politically neutral when teaching on subjects pertaining to current affairs, politics and history.

Elizabeth Truss: Section 406 of the Education Act 1996 requires head teachers and governing bodies of maintained schools, as well as local authorities, to forbid the pursuit of partisan political activities by pupils and the promotion of partisan political views on the teaching of any subject in the school. Section 407 also provides that, where political views are brought to the attention of pupils, they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2014, Official Report, columns 209-10W, on electoral register, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of (a) which were the most cost-effective campaigns and (b) what the reasons were for that cost effectiveness.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it carries out evaluations at the conclusion of each of its campaigns to encourage voter registration, including consideration of cost effectiveness. Consideration is given to the most cost effective media channels, the impact of the campaign creative and costs of production, and the timing and amount of media purchased. Improvements made as a result of these evaluations are likely to have contributed to an increase in the cost effectiveness of our campaigns.
	The cost of each campaign divided by the number of voter registration forms downloaded during the campaign period (cost-per-download) provides a useful indicator of overall cost effectiveness. These costs are presented in the following table.
	A significant factor beyond the Commission's control that affects the cost effectiveness of different campaigns is the level of public interest in the elections they relate to. Within the table the elections are therefore grouped together on a 'most similar' basis to provide an indicative point of comparison. However, no two sets of elections are entirely comparable in part due to the different combinations of elections taking place on the same day. None the less, there has been a general trend of increasing cost effectiveness over the past nine years.
	
		
			 Campaign Total registration forms downloaded during the campaign period pre-registration deadline Cost of airtime/advertising space (£) Cost per registration form downloaded during the campaign period pre-registration deadline (£) Total campaign spend including producing material, research and running a call centre (£) 
			 General election 2005 49,000 3,600,000 73.47 14,100,000 
			 General election 2010 466,000 2,300,000 4.94 2,700,000 
			      
			 England and Wales local elections 2006 34,000 1,300,000 38.24 1,500,000 
			 England and Wales local elections 2007 51,000 1,800,000 35.29 2,400,000 
			 England, Wales and London elections 2008 128,000 3,200,000 25.00 3,900,000 
			 English local elections 2013 87,000 900,000 10.34 1,200,000 
			      
			 English, Scottish and Welsh elections 2012 146,000 2,900,000 19.86 24,100,000 
			      
			 European Parliament 2009 137,000 3,200,000 23.36 4,000,000 
		
	
	
		
			 European Parliament 2014 Target: 150,000 Budgeted: 2,264,000 Expected: 15.09 Budgeted 2,800,000 
			 1 2005-06 financial year only. 2 Included £1.4 million from the Scottish Government to fund a booklet drop to all households in Scotland. 
		
	
	In this table, costs per download are based purely on the costs of running campaign media advertisements because some campaigns draw on existing resources while others require the production of new materials.
	The total campaign expenditure (including producing material and other costs such as research and call centre provision) is shown in the final column.

Emergencies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government has issued clear guidance on expected levels of Category 2 responders' engagement in planning, exercising and response; and what assessment the Government has made of the case for strengthening enforcement arrangements.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Government confirmed in 2012 that Pitt recommendation 56, that:
	“the Government should strengthen and enforce the duty on Category 2 responders to share information on the risks to their infrastructure assets, enabling more effective emergency planning within Local Resilience Forums”
	had been implemented.
	In addition the statutory guidance, ‘Emergency Preparedness’, which supplements the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, sets out clearly the legislative requirements and the role expected of category 2 responders in planning and exercising. The non-statutory guidance, ‘Emergency Response and Recovery’, and other sectoral guidance and legislation sets out their expected roles in response.
	The Government believes the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 already enables effective enforcement. Government Ministers have powers to require information about actions taken by category 2 responders; and an explanation as to why a responder has not taken appropriate action. Where he or she is not satisfied with the information given, the Minister may choose to take enforcement proceedings. Additionally, another responder may itself take court action, in respect of a failure by a responder body to fulfil its responsibilities.

Emergencies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the degree to which, for emergencies spanning more than a single local authority area, Government offices have ensured coherence and coordination between recovery operations.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Government offices for the regions closed between 2010 and 2011. In this context, this specific recommendation from the Pitt Review is redundant and no longer applies. Current arrangements for responding to and recovering from incidents, including coordination of emergencies spanning more than a single area, are set out in the Government's Concept of Operations, available at:
	www.gov.uk

Emergencies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether local recovery coordination groups have made early recommendations to elected local authority members about longer-term regeneration and economic development opportunities.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	This Government reported in 2012 that Pitt Review Recommendation 85—that
	“local Recovery Coordination Groups should make early recommendations to elected local authority members about longer-term regeneration and economic development opportunities”
	had been implemented. It is for the local area to agree the priorities for recovery in their communities. Government is supporting local recovery through a number of financial support packages including for businesses and farming. Details of all schemes can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-schemes-funding-available-from-central-government

Emergencies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether all Government guidance has been updated to reflect the new arrangements for recovery; and whether local resilience forums have planned, trained and exercised on this basis.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Yes. The Government reported in 2012 that Pitt Review Recommendation 80—that
	“all central Government guidance should be updated to reflect the new arrangements for recovery and Local Resilience Forums should plan, train and exercise on this basis has”
	has been implemented.
	The non-statutory Emergency Response and Recovery guidance describes the multi-agency framework for responding to and recovering from civil emergencies in the UK and was revised in October 2013. The guidance is not prescriptive and can be adapted in light of local circumstances, experiences and priorities. Local authorities are responsible for the planning, training and exercising for the recovery of the community following any major emergency, working with other agencies in the Local Resilience Forum.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of whether local authorities have co-ordinated a systematic programme of community engagement in their area during recovery phases.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Government reported in 2012 that Pitt Review Recommendation 76—that
	“local authorities should coordinate a systematic programme of community engagement in their area during the recovery phase”
	had been implemented.
	My Department's resilience and recovery advisers have been in frequent contact with local areas as they start to recover from the recent severe weather. I have also met leaders of local authorities of most of the areas that have been impacted. All areas have kept us informed of the arrangements in place to engage with their citizens.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether, in all cases relating to the recent flooding, upper tier local authorities have become the lead responders to multi-agency planning for severe weather emergencies at the local level and for triggering multi-agency arrangements in response to severe weather warnings and local impact assessments.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Government reported in 2012 that Pitt Review Recommendation 41 had been implemented. Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 statutory guidance "Emergency Preparedness" local authorities and other responders work together as a local resilience forum to draw up multi-agency plans. It is for these forum meetings to discuss local arrangements for who will lead on planning for different emergencies and how the multi-agency plans will be triggered.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work the Environment Agency has done with its partners to progressively develop and bring into use flood visualisation tools that are designed to meet the needs of flood-risk managers, emergency planners and responders.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency has produced an Incident Management Map Viewer for use in Strategic (Gold) and Tactical (Silver) Coordination Centres.
	The viewer allows responders to view and share incident mapping data consistently and can be used during a flood event to visualise what areas are at risk of flooding, using current and forecast information.
	Flood visualisation tools have been used effectively during the recent winter flooding (2013-14) to help the Environment Agency and its partners make better decisions about where and how to respond during a flood incident.
	The Environment Agency continues to work on new visualisation systems which are due to be implemented later this year.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Government has made towards creating a fully-funded national capability for flood rescue, with fire and rescue authorities playing a leading role.

Brandon Lewis: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Government reported in 2012 that Pitt Review Recommendation 39—that
	“the Government should urgently put in place a fully funded national capability for flood rescue, with Fire and Rescue Authorities playing a leading role, underpinned as necessary by a statutory duty”
	has been implemented.
	Over 100 specialist flood rescue teams and associated equipment are on standby across the country as a result of the 2011 Flood Rescue National Enhancement project. These teams are drawn from a mix of organisations including Fire and Rescue Authorities and voluntary organisation, with new assets added to the register on a regular basis.
	All asset holders have signed up to deploy as required nationwide in a flood emergency, with local requests for assistance being managed by the Fire and Rescue Service National Co-ordination Centre. To be included on the register of assets, specific equipment and crew training standards must be met. A quality assurance of all flood rescue assets is currently under way to confirm compliance with these standards.

Floods: Crops

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department plans to make available to farmers whose crops are late or reduced as a result of severe wet weather.

George Eustice: The Government has introduced the Farming Recovery Fund (FRF) which provides up to £10 million to support farm businesses affected by flooding.
	While the fund does not provide financial support for loss of income related to late or reduced crops, it does provide farmers who have been affected by the floods with a one-off grant to restore flooded land. This will help to bring land back into production as quickly as possible and to secure future production once the land is restored.
	Additionally, the Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS) has been widened to provide support for rural businesses in flood affected areas to become more resilient in future.

Reptiles: Smuggling

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reptiles were seized by HM Customs under CITES in each year from 2001 to 2013; and how many such seizures there were.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	Border Force is responsible for seizing live animals listed as endangered species under Council Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora which implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in the EU. Prior to 5 August 2009 CITES enforcement at the UK border fell to HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor, HM Customs and Excise.
	The number of live reptiles seized by HM Revenue and Customs between 2005 and 2009 and by Border Force between 2009 and 2013 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are given in the following table.
	Border Force does not hold data for the number of live reptiles seized by HM Customs and Excise between 2001 and 2005.
	
		
			    Seizures include: 
			  Seizures Number of specimens Number Name 
			 2005-06 27 1,336 501 Leopard Tortoises 
			    220 Caiman Crocodiles 
			    149 Royal Pythons 
		
	
	
		
			    170 Terrapins 
			      
			 2006-07 38 1,313 325 Terrapins 
			    294 Spiny tailed lizards 
			    138 Leopard tortoises 
			      
			 2007-08 21 347 200 Tortoises 
			      
			 2008-09 32 1,044 356 Turtles 
			    111 Leopard tortoises 
			    100 Hingeback tortoises 
			    98 Spiny tailed lizards 
			      
			 2009-10 17 528 210 Kleinmann's Tortoise 
			    100 Leopard Tortoise 
			      
			 2010-11 5 804 585 Royal Pythons 
			      
			 2011-12 19 571 180 Royal Pythons 
			    160 Hermanns tortoises 
			    95 Chameleons 
			      
			 2012-13 8 17  Tortoises

Afghanistan

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the safety of women's human rights defenders in Afghanistan.

Justine Greening: The UK Government shares the widespread concern about attacks and intimidation faced by Afghan women who work to defend the rights and fundamental freedoms of others. Eliminating violence against women and girls is a strategic priority for DFID's work in Afghanistan and a range of programmes are being implemented.

Developing Countries: Family Planning

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the total budget for overseas development assistance is allocated for reproductive health education and family planning.

Lynne Featherstone: Reproductive health is one of the Government's priority areas. At the 2012 Gold Moment we committed to spend £516 million on Family Planning over eight years towards the summit goal of enabling an additional 120 million women and girls in the world's poorest countries to be using modern methods of family planning by 2020. Our country programmes also have investments that contribute to family planning. Last year alone we spent over £200 million on family planning.

Ukraine

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much additional aid the Government plans to give to Ukraine.

Justine Greening: The UK Government is providing a package of technical assistance of up to £10 million as part of our wider effort to support economic and political stabilisation in Ukraine.

Career Development

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were (a) male and (b) female;
	(2)  what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic minority group;
	(3)  what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is shown in the following tables. The following proportions in terms of gender, ethnic origin and disability status are based only on those staff who have voluntarily declared this information.
	The Department undertook a restructuring process from October 2010 to October 2012 which caused a significant reduction in the number of promotions during its peak in 2011 as staff numbers were reduced. To put this into context, there were a total of 12 promotions in 2011 against an average of 128 promotions in the other years in question.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			   Promotions split by gender 
			  Total proportion of staff promoted in the Department Proportion of male staff promoted Proportion of female staff promoted 
			 2009 11.9 47.8 52.2 
			 2010 4.0 45.8 54,2 
			 2011 0.6 50.0 50.0 
			 2012 4.4 53.0 47.0 
			 2013 7.1 39.8 60.2 
		
	
	As at end January 2014, the total proportion of female civil servants in the Department was 51.3%.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			   Promotions split by ethnicity 
			  Total proportion of staff promoted in the Department Proportion of staff promoted who declared themselves as “white”1 Proportion of staff promoted who declared themselves as black, Asian and minority ethnic 
			 2009 11.9 77.4 22.6 
			 2010 4.0 74.0 26.0 
			 2011 0.6 91,7 8.3 
			 2012 4.4 83.8 16.3 
			 2013 7.1 86.9 13.1 
			 1 Due to the manner in which data is reported by staff, meaningful disaggregations are not available. 
		
	
	As at end January 2014, the total proportion of civil servants in the Department reporting themselves as black, Asian and minority ethnic was 20.7%.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			   Promotions split by disability status 
			  Total proportion of staff promoted in the Department Proportion of staff promoted who declared themselves as disabled Proportion of staff promoted who declared themselves as non-disabled 
			 2009 11.9 6.5 93.5 
			 2010 4.0 6.3 93.8 
			 2011 0.6 0.0 1100.0 
			 2012 4.4 3.7 96.3 
		
	
	
		
			 2013 7.1 5.3 94.7 
			 1 As indicated above, there were just 12 promotions in 2011; the small sample size is the reason for this figure. 
		
	
	As at end January 2014, the total proportion of civil servants in the Department reporting themselves as disabled was 5.3%.
	Taken as a whole, and given the issues with small sample sizes, these figures show that promotions broadly reflect the general composition of the Department.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Brandon Lewis: No information is held centrally on the business rates paid on vacant properties (recorded on e-PIMS or otherwise) owned by the Department for Communities and Local Government, or any Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Government Property Unit has been supporting Departments to rapidly rationalise the Government’s estate. Since May 2010, over £1.25 billion has been raised in sales of freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum.
	Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the Government looks to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end but cannot yet be sold or sub-let commercially, the Space for Growth scheme, run by the unit, invites small and medium-sized businesses, charities and social enterprises to utilise this space for free, boosting economic growth. Over 1,500 workstation spaces are now available in 57 different locations around England.
	My Department has had considerable success in reducing the cost of its wider estate through the rationalisation of retained office space and targeted building disposals. This has seen the Department surrender six leasehold office properties through a combination of lease breaks and expiries, generating net savings in the period of around £7 million per annum. The Department has also successfully sub-let surplus space across its leasehold office estate during the same period, reducing the overall property costs by around £6.5 million per annum.
	Building on this success, in 2013-14, we have already secured further savings of £4.6 million by sub-letting further space in Eland house in London. Most recently, the Department negotiated the early surrender of Eland house and is scheduled to relocate to 2 Marsham street. This move will reduce my Department’s running costs by £9 million a year from 2015-16. Overall, these changes will save the Government £24 million a year.
	This illustrates the scope for local government and, indeed, the public sector as a whole to make sensible savings through better property management.

Homelessness: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals registered as homeless in Barrow and Furness constituency were aged (a) under 16 and (b) 16 to 18 in each of the last three years.

Kris Hopkins: holding 6 March 2014
	The Department does not collect data on homelessness at a constituency level.
	I have therefore placed in the Library of the House, a table containing the most relevant available figures for two local authorities that include part of the Barrow and Furness constituency: Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland.
	The table includes:
	(i) Numbers of households accepted as being unintentionally homeless and in priority need:
	The applicant was aged 16-24; or
	The household was in at least one of the following Priority Need categories:
	Aged 16 or 17;
	Household with children;
	Household member pregnant.
	(ii) Numbers of households in temporary accommodation as at the end of each quarter:
	Which contain dependant children or a pregnant mother, and the number of children and expected children in these households; and
	Where the applicant was 16 or 17 years old.
	Data from 2009 has been given for extra comparison.
	The law is clear—no child should be without a roof over their head. Any child under 18 who becomes homeless and without anyone to look after them is a child in need. They must be housed by a local authority and supported by Children's Services. If a child is homeless because their parents are homeless then that family is protected by the homelessness legislation and must be housed. If a family is unable to care for a child under 18 then that child must be taken into care.
	We want children to be able to stay with their families in secure and settled homes and we want to help local authorities support families before they reach crisis point. We are investing £470 million in homelessness prevention over four years of the spending review period—funding going to all local authorities and the voluntary sector. We are continuing to support local authorities to raise their game with an additional £1.7 million over two years (2012-13 to 2013-14) for a new Gold Standard support and training scheme across the country to deliver the best possible service to those that are at risk of homelessness.
	We have also worked closely with leading voluntary sector organisations and local authorities to develop and promote a positive youth accommodation pathway for those who cannot stay within the family network or are leaving care. The pathway approach offers tailored accommodation options and a supportive transition into adulthood, helping young people to avoid the crisis of homelessness.
	More recently, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office set up a £15 million Fair Chance Fund to support vulnerable, homeless 18 to 25-year-olds that are ineligible for assistance from local authorities under the homelessness legislation.

Housing: Construction

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications were received for Get Britain Building funding in (i) round one in January 2012 and (ii) round two in July 2012.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 5 March 2014
	In my answer of 27 February 2014, Official Report, columns 445-46W, I noted how the Get Britain Building programme is on track and on course, with 11,165 starts to date (and more to come), helping unlock sites that had stalled due to the last Government's housing bust.
	In the first round, 106 applications were, successful, 198 were unsuccessful and 101 withdrew. In the second round, 75 applications were successful, 69 were unsuccessful and 18 withdrew.
	It is and was important that value for taxpayers' is achieved from the programme, given the sizeable funds allocated for investment. Applications may have been rejected since they simply did not comply with the criteria laid out in the prospectus, or since they failed to meet the due diligence or value for money assessments. Applicants may have withdrawn for a number of reasons—but this could have included improving market conditions meaning that such funding was not necessary for their particular sites.

Housing: Construction

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to increase investment in house building; and if he will consider the introduction of rent controls.

Kris Hopkins: This Government is investing in housing to get Britain building again, fix the previously broken housing market and help hard-working people get the home they want:
	Over 160,000 new affordable homes have been delivered over the last three years, based on New Homes Bonus figures. Our affordable housing programme will lever in £19.5 billion of public and private investment over the current spending review period. Over 2015-18, we will be investing a further £23 billion in public and private funding for affordable housing.
	Since 2010, over 100,000 people have been helped to buy or reserve their own home through the right to buy and schemes like Help to Buy: Equity Loan, which are in turn, supporting new housing construction.
	69,000 homes are being brought forward on locally-supported large sites, with £474 million in the Local Infrastructure Fund.
	We are supporting private investment in new housing to rent, through our Built to Rent and Guarantees programmes.
	A package of measures is helping self-builders, and a programme of activity is helping refurbish and bring empty homes back into use.
	Action has been taken to get stalled sites building which were left uncompleted or unstarted due to the Labour Government's housing crash.
	We have kept interest rates down and ensured economic stability by tackling the deficit left by the Labour Government.
	House building starts for past year (to December 2013) increased by 23%, according to DCLG statistics, the highest since 2007. The figures for the last quarter were 89% higher than during the crash. Similarly, housing construction orders are at their highest level since 2007 at over £4 billion in the third quarter of 2013 (up 42% on same period last year) according to the Office for National Statistics.
	And according to National House Building Council figures, in 2013, new housing registrations rose by 30% in England on the year before. In London, new registrations rose 60%, the highest annual total since these records began 26 years ago. Registrations across the country are at their highest since 2007. This is all clear evidence the Government's long-term economic plan is working. By contrast, new registrations fell by 12% in Wales last year, linked to the Labour-led Welsh Government's increased regulation and their failure to support home ownership.
	While I am aware that the Labour party has been actively advocating rent controls, we have no plans to re-introduce them. Rent controls would cut investment and mean less accommodation available for new tenants to rent. Previously, rent controls decimated the private rented sector, shrinking in size from 55% of households in 1939 to just 8% in the late 1980s. Rent controls also meant that many landlords could not afford to improve or maintain their homes, leading to worse conditions for tenants. The interests of tenants are best served by avoiding excessive regulation which would ultimately force up rents and reduce supply and choice.

Land Use: Agriculture

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what formula his Department uses to value Best and Most Versatile (BMV) land for the purposes of assessing planning applications to local planning authorities; if he will make it his policy to include in that formula the economic value of food production from BMV agricultural land over a sixty-year period, in a similar way as for infrastructure applications; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on planning applications for BMV agricultural land and their potential effects on local food security and biodiversity.

Nicholas Boles: The Agricultural Land Classification system is used by Natural England and others to give advice to planning authorities, developers and the public. Best and most versatile farmland is land identified as Grade 1, 2 or 3a. Such land is generally the most flexible, productive and efficient, and forms about a third of all agricultural land in England. Our National Planning Policy Framework requires local authorities to take into account the benefits of best and most versatile land when plan-making or deciding planning applications. If significant development on farmland is unavoidable, local authorities should seek to use poorer land in preference. As a safeguard, local authorities are required by law to consult Natural England in certain circumstances before permitting non-agricultural development on best and most versatile land that does not accord with the Local Plan.
	The National Planning Policy Framework also sets out how the planning system should contribute to and enhance the natural environment by minimising impacts on biodiversity and providing net gains in biodiversity where possible.

Leasehold

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data (a) his Department holds and (b) can be estimated from the Land Registry, the Census and the Office of National Statistics on the number of leasehold domestic premises in (i) Worthing West constituency, (ii) Worthing borough, (iii) Arun district, (iv) West Sussex county, (v) South East England region, (vi) England and (vii) England and Wales; what data collection his Department makes on housing tenure types; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not hold data on the number of leasehold domestic properties by parliamentary constituency, local authority district, county or Wales. As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 29-31WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by government office region. The English Housing Survey collects data from owner-occupied homes on whether the home is owned leasehold or freehold, but not from homes that are let in the private rented sector or social rented sector. In the past this partial data has been used to estimate the total number of leasehold domestic properties in England across all tenures, but the methodology is currently under review.
	The census does not collect data on the number of leasehold domestic properties so census based estimates of leasehold domestic properties are dependent on assumptions (ie property type as a proxy for leasehold properties).
	The Land Registry holds some information on leasehold properties but have not estimated the number of leasehold dwellings.
	The Department collects data on housing tenure via a number of different sources, including the English Housing Survey and local authority returns.

Planning Permission

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many draft local plans have been referred back to local authorities for revision since the adoption of the National Planning Policy Framework;
	(2)  in how many cases draft local plans have been referred back to authorities because of points raised about the duty to co-operate set out in the National Planning Policy Framework since the adoption of that framework.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 10 March 2014
	Through our reforms in the Localism Act and National Planning Policy Framework we have ensured that local plans set the framework in which decisions on particular applications are taken locally. This includes amending legislation so that a planning inspector may only propose modifications to a draft local plan where invited to do so by the local planning authority.
	Three quarters of local planning authorities have now published a local plan and 42 local plans have been adopted since the publication of the National Planning Policy Framework in March 2012. To place this in context, six years after the Labour Government's 2004 Planning Act, by May 2010, only one in six local planning authorities had an adopted core strategy. Labour's top-down regional strategies were one of the key reasons for this delay: adding complexity to the planning process and discouraging local decision-making.
	Where a local plan withdraws from examination it will be for reasons specific to that plan; only six local plans have been withdrawn since the publication of the framework for reasons which include (but are not limited to) the effective application of the duty to co-operate.

Planning Permission: Cheshire

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will implement a moratorium on approving planning applications for greenfield sites in Addisbury constituency before local neighbourhood plans are finalised; and if he will make it his policy that a draft local plan should be taken into account when considering such planning applications.

Nicholas Boles: Through our reforms in the Localism Act and National Planning Policy Framework we have ensured that Local Plans set the framework in which decisions on particular applications are taken locally. Three quarters of local planning authorities have now published a Local Plan and over half have an adopted Local Plan. To place this in context, six years after the Labour Government's 2004 Planning Act, by May 2010, only one in six local planning authorities had an adopted core strategy.
	The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that plans may gain weight in planning decisions before they are formally adopted. We have now set out in planning practice guidance where circumstances may justify the refusal of planning permission on grounds that an application would be premature in relation to the emerging local or neighbourhood plan.

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in each of those years.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers in this Department believe that the taxpayer-funded subsidies and support that previously have been given to the trade unions were poor value for money and represented an unhealthy relationship between the state and voluntary sector.
	Trade union activities and campaigning in the public sector should be funded by members' subscriptions, not bankrolled by the taxpayer. Greater freedom from state dependency will help ensure that trade union bosses better reflect and respond to the wishes and views of the grassroots members who pay the bill.
	Following the Cabinet Office review of the use of facility time and facilities in the civil service, the Department for Communities and Local Government has made changes to its facility time arrangements. With effect from 1 April 2013, the guideline facility allocation is 0.04% of the pay bill (the private sector average benchmark). All trade union representatives now spend the majority of their time in civil service roles—we no longer fund full-time “pilgrims”. The Department does not now provide any funding for staff to carry out trade union activities. We have also taken broader steps to prevent inappropriate use of departmental facilities for campaigning purposes.
	The following table sets out the costs of such departmental facility time to the public purse:
	
		
			  2011-12 2012-13 20131 
			 Days 647 2703 163 
			 Staffing costs (£) 140,687 153,814 33,445 
			 Travel and hotel expenses (£) 399 0 0 
			 1 To December 2013. 2 The increase in 2012-13 was not due to an increase in the number of trade union representatives, but rather a combination of higher staff salaries, following the annual pay changes and since trade union representatives in higher grades used more facility time than in the previous years. 
		
	
	We anticipate that the final staffing cost figure for 2013-14 may be in the region of £47,000. To place this in context, facility time staffing costs were £245,644 in 2008-09 and £177,100 in 2009-10. This represents a significant saving of taxpayers' money.
	The reductions since April 2013 are also being implemented across our arm's length bodies. In my answer of 13 September 2013, Official Report, columns 882-84W, I noted that our changes across my Department and arm's length bodies may save up to £400,000 a year of taxpayers' money.
	We would encourage local authorities to follow our example in delivering such sensible savings, helping protect frontline services and keep council tax down; we have published helpful guidance for councils along those lines.

Drax Power Station

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change at what stage of development the conversion of Drax power station to biomass is; and when that project is due to be completed.

Michael Fallon: Drax converted one unit of their power station to biomass by April 2013. They have applied for two Investment Contracts to convert two further units through Final Investment Decision Enabling for Renewables process. The affordability assessment and down-selection process for Investment Contracts will be carried out following the receipt of binding applications later this month. Investment Contracts are expected to be signed and laid in Parliament in spring 2014. According to Drax's website, they intend to complete the conversion of one of these two units by April 2015 and quarter four of 2015, at the earliest, for the second of the two.

Drax Power Station

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the conversion to biomass at Drax power station will continue to ensure that the station provides seven to eight per cent of the UK's electricity needs.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not publish forecasts of the expected generation of individual power plants. Such figures would be commercially confidential. We do however expect that Drax will continue to play a major role in providing electricity for the UK. Drax have published information about their intentions at:
	http://drax.presscentre.com/News/Preliminary-results-for-the-year-ended-31-December-2013-b8c.aspx

Fracking

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to develop a UK standard in mitigation measures, operating conditions and planning requirements for shale gas pads.

Michael Fallon: The UK has a strong regulatory system which provides a comprehensive and fit for purpose regime for exploration. The regulatory regime recognises that regulators must be allowed to take decisions depending on the circumstances of each particular case. The Environment Agency, for example, takes a risk-based approach to permitting that in most cases means a blanket refusal to issue a permit in certain circumstances would not be appropriate. Planning authorities also assess each application on a case by case basis, recognising that each application may have specific circumstances that need to be taken into account.
	There are standards that all operators must adhere to. These can be found in legislation and guidance set out by Government and regulators, such as the Environment Agency. The industry's own guidelines also include best practice which operators are committed to following.
	The UK's goal based approach to regulation of shale gas extraction was commended by an authoritative review by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, which was published in June 2012.

Fuel Poverty

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of people in each region of the UK are in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty is a devolved issue and each UK nation monitors and reports on fuel poverty independently. Furthermore, each nation has its own preferred definition of fuel poverty. In England, the Government now uses the Low Income High Costs definition of fuel poverty. Figures show that in 2011 there were 2.4 million households in England in fuel poverty under this definition.
	In Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland the principle indicator of fuel poverty is the “10% definition” under which a household is fuel poor if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on domestic energy. The latest available figures are as follows:
	
		
			 Country Number of fuel poor households (millions) Proportion of the population fuel poor (%) Year of estimate 
			 England 3.20 15 2011 
			 Scotland 0.58 25 2011 
			 Wales 0.37 29 2011 
			 Northern Ireland 0.29 42 2011 
		
	
	All fuel poverty statistics published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change can be accessed easily at the following website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics

Natural Resources

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department will be taking to implement the findings of the second State of Natural Capital report by the Natural Capital Committee.

Gregory Barker: The Natural Capital Committee (NCC) formally reports to the Economic Affairs Committee and the second report was directed to it. The NCC's report contains a range of recommendations which the Government needs to consider collectively. DEFRA is co-ordinating the Government response and will reply to the NCC's report once it has fully considered it.

Cayman Islands

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of progress in implementing the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility in the Cayman Islands.

Mark Simmonds: The Cayman Islands Government remains on track to meet the sound fiscal trajectory and other commitments set out in the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility.

Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to strengthen ties with the Commonwealth.

Hugo Swire: The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka in November 2013. 1 also addressed the Commonwealth People's Forum and the Commonwealth Business Forum, held in parallel with CHOGM. On 24 February 2014, I hosted a meeting of high commissioners to discuss the Commonwealth. I will meet high commissioners and others later this month to consider the organisation's role and its relationship with its members.
	The United Kingdom continues to make the largest financial contribution to the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and all Foreign Office Ministers meet regularly with their Commonwealth counterparts. This week, the Secretary of State has met the Indian, Pakistani, Australian and New Zealand Foreign Ministers. We will of course also use the opportunity of this summer's Commonwealth games in Glasgow to promote and reaffirm our commitment to the Commonwealth.

Conflict Pool

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where annual reports of the Inter-departmental Conflict Pool for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 or equivalent information are published.

Mark Simmonds: The Conflict Pool is a conflict prevention resource collectively managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development (DFID).
	Since the beginning of the current spending review period, and in line with commitments made in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy, published in 2011, all three Departments adopted a multi-year funding model based on three-year programmes. No annual reports have since been produced.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) annually update the House on Conflict Pool annual allocations, by written ministerial statement.
	Additionally, Departments publish details on Conflict Pool spending they manage through their websites and in line with their departmental requirements. DFID reports to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on any spending that is eligible as Official Development Assistance.
	In 2012, both the National Audit Office and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact published independent reports on the Conflict Pool.

Iran

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce Iranian military and financial support for the Assad regime.

Hugh Robertson: We raise our concerns about the impact of Iran's support for the Assad regime both bilaterally with Iran and publicly; and we supported the EU decision to impose travel bans on and asset freezes against Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members and entities involved in Syria. We continue to press Iran to support a political resolution to the Syrian crisis, in line with the Geneva communiqué; and encourage our international partners to make similar points in their engagement with Iran.

Occupied Territories

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on levels of settlement construction.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) most recently raised the issue of settlements with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, on 7 January 2014, during his recent visit to the UK.

Spain

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the practice of Spain’s Guardia Civil firing rubber bullets into the sea and using similar tactics used to repel immigrants.

David Lidington: The British Government has not received any reports on such practices, beyond what has been reported in the media. The Spanish delegation provided a report to the Frontex Management Board, at their meeting in Warsaw on 19 February, about recent attempts by immigrants to enter Ceuta and Melilla. The UK is not a member of the Management Board, but attends the meetings by invitation.
	Operational decisions on policing of borders are a member state competence. On 26 February, the Spanish Interior Minister announced that the Guardia Civil would no longer use rubber bullets in Ceuta and Melilla. A judicial investigation is currently under way in Spain. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further.
	Ensuring the security of the EU’s external borders is an issue of concern to all member states, which we continue to discuss in EU fora and with other relevant countries.

Syria

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to protect children in Syria from sexual abuse.

Hugh Robertson: The prevention of sexual violence is a personal priority of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), who has led international efforts on this issue. In January the UN Secretary General reported on the horrific sexual abuse of children, particularly in regime detention facilities. The UK is fully committed to ensuring that all those responsible for such crimes are held accountable and we have called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court. Attempts to deal with this issue are severely hampered by the sensitivities surrounding sexual violence, which means people are often reluctant to discuss abuse, particularly when committed against children.
	As part of our broader humanitarian contribution of £600 million the UK has put in place £30 million of funding to provide protection, trauma care, education and counselling for children affected by the crisis. We also support efforts to train investigators to collect evidence of sexual violence and other crimes to ensure that survivors can seek justice. As part of this we have sent members of the Secretary of State’s team of experts to the Syrian borders to help train health professionals and human rights defenders to document crimes of sexual violence to a criminal law standard. Ultimately though, the only way to thoroughly protect Syria's children is to find a political solution to the crisis. This is why we are at the forefront of international efforts to support the political process.

Ukraine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to improve relations between the governments of Russia and Ukraine.

David Lidington: There has been intense work to persuade Russia to come to the negotiating table with the Government of Ukraine and to discuss its stated concerns face to face.
	As the Prime Minister said to the House on 10 March 2014, Official Report, column 25, the idea of a contact group, including other countries and organisations, was one that the Prime Minister first proposed to the Polish Prime Minister back in January. The European Council on 6 March agreed it was essential for such talks to start within the next few days and for them to deliver progress quickly. The UK also agreed that if Russia did not co-operate there would need to be further measures which would need to start rapidly.
	There has been a range of recent extensive multilateral and bilateral diplomatic activity that has taken place in pursuit of improving relations between the governments of Russia and Ukraine. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), called for de-escalation in Crimea and respect for sovereignty and independence of Ukraine during his telephone call with Foreign Minister Lavrov on 1 March. He also urged Russia to talk directly to the Ukrainian Government through ministerial and military channels. The UN Security Council held an urgent meeting on 2 March at UK request. Members of the Council called for international monitors to be sent to Ukraine to observe the situation and stressed the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity and the need to de-escalate tensions. I also met with the Russian ambassador on 4 and 11 March and underlined the messages in the Secretary of State's statement to the House on 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 755, and the Prime Minister's statement to the House on 10 March 2014, Official Report, column 25.

Ukraine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Russian Foreign Ministers on Russian troops leaving the Crimea region of Ukraine.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) pressed for clarification of the Russian position relating to the Crimea during his telephone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on 1 March 2014. The Foreign Secretary called for de-escalation in Crimea and respect for sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. He also urged Russia to talk directly to the Ukrainian Government, through ministerial and military channels.
	The Foreign Secretary, US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andriy Deshchytsia met in Paris on 5March 2014 to discuss the Budapest Memorandum; the Russian Foreign Minister was invited but did not attend. The Foreign Secretary and allies met with the Russian Foreign Minister separately where they discussed the formation of a contact group which would, among other things, address the issue of Russian troops in the Crimea region of Ukraine.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014

Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether he plans to meet charities and other interested parties to discuss the issuing of guidance on the implementation of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014;
	(2)  whether he plans to publish guidance to inform charities and other affected organisations about the implementation of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014.

Greg Clark: Guidance is being produced by the Electoral Commission regarding the operation of the rules for non-party campaigners. The commission are working with the UK's three charity regulators and other organisations to ensure that the guidance is clear and helpful.

Diabetes: Research

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what amount the Government has spent on research on type one diabetes in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. Expenditure by the MRC on research into type 1 diabetes is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Medical Research Council expenditure on type 1 diabetes, 2008/09 to 2012/13 
			  £ million 
			 2008/09 4.7 
			 2009/10 3.7 
			 2010/11 3.6 
			 2011/12 4.0 
			 2012/13 3.6 
			 Note: Where a research project is related to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, 100% of the project value has been included in the totals shown above. 
		
	
	Department of Health spend on research on type 1 diabetes through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Department of Health expenditure on type 1 diabetes, 2008/09 to 2012/13 
			  £ million 
			 2008/09 n/a 
			 2009/10 1.8 
			 2010/11 2.1 
			 2011/12 1.8 
			 2012/13 2.9 
			 2013/14 12.8 
			 1 Estimated. Note: Total DH spend on research on type 1 diabetes is higher because expenditure by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) on this topic cannot be disaggregated from total CRN spend.

Energy: Industry

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on when the compensation scheme for the carbon floor price will be approved.

Michael Fallon: Ministers have regular discussions with the Commission on the issue of state aid approval for the Carbon Price Floor compensation scheme for energy intensive industries. I am optimistic that a decision will be received this month.

Merlin Helicopters: India

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library copies of the memoranda of understanding underpinning the 2010 sale of 12 VIP AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters to the Indian government.

Michael Fallon: There is no memorandum of understanding underpinning the 2010 sale of 12 VIP AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters to the Indian government.

Merlin Helicopters: India

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the name was of each official in his Department who took part in negotiations prior to the 2010 sale of 12 VIP AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters to the Indian gove rnment.

Michael Fallon: No Government officials took part in the commercial negotiations running up to the 2010 sale of 12 VIP AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters to the Indian government. UK government support for the sale was emphasised to Indian government officials in the course of routine meetings as part of the normal lobbying undertaken in support of UK companies seeking to secure valuable export orders.

Mining

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress he has made on developing a global standard of financial transparency in the extractive industry.

Jennifer Willott: The Government is committed to increasing transparency in the extractives sector and this was a key theme during our G8 presidency.
	Implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in the UK is progressing quickly. The Multi-Stakeholder Group has met three times and I attended the last meeting. I was impressed by the commitment of the members, who are working effectively and consensually to implement EITI.
	In addition, we are committed to implementing chapter 10 of the accounting directive which introduces mandatory reporting. A consultation is due shortly.

Music: Higher Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many undergraduate students are studying music in the UK in the current academic year;
	(2)  how many undergraduate students are studying music at a conservatoire in the UK in the current academic year.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). In the academic year 2012/13 there were 21,110 full person equivalent undergraduate enrolments in music subjects in UK HEIs, of these 2,655 were at conservatoires in the UK.
	The conservatoires included are the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the University of South Wales (The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama merged with the University of Glamorgan in the academic year 2007/08 and this subsequently merged with the University of Wales, Newport in April 2013 to form the University of South Wales).
	Information on enrolments at UK HEls in the academic year 2013/14 will become available from HESA in January 2015.

Post Office Card Account

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Post Office Limited, (b) the National Federation of Sub Postmasters, (c) the Department for Work and Pensions and (d) the Treasury on the future of the Post Office card account.

Jennifer Willott: The Post Office Ltd has a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to provide the Post Office card account (POCA). This is regularly used by some three million people to access their pensions or benefits and is available across the Post Office network.
	The current arrangements for collecting pensions and benefits at post offices will remain in place until at least 2015. Any decision about the future of POCA arrangements and related commercial negotiations are a matter for DWP. However I can confirm that DWP and the Post Office are in discussions about a long-term successor to the Post Office card account and that all options under consideration conclude that access to pensions and benefits will continue, beyond March 2015, across the whole post office network of at least 11,500 branches. The National Federation of Sub Postmasters is aware that these discussions are under way.

Post Office Card Account: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the change was in the number of Post Office Card accounts in Northern Ireland between 1 January 2012 and 1 January 2013.

Jennifer Willott: The information requested is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, Chief Executive Officer of Post Office Ltd, to reply to the hon. Member directly, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in each of those years.

Jennifer Willott: The principal funding consists of salary costs.
	Since November 2012, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been formally collecting information on trade union facility time usage for publication by Cabinet Office in line with their new framework. Prior to this, facility time use was monitored locally after the yearly allocations had been agreed centrally with HR and the BIS trade unions.
	
		
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Time spent (Days) 184.5 113.6 236.28 
			 Cost of TU activities (£) 32,975.93 1,965.83 5,094 
			 1 October to March. 2 April to December. 
		
	
	The variations in time and cost can be accounted for by the different time used by union representatives across grades.

Trade: Developing Countries

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the Government's objectives are in the work of the Doha Development Agenda.

Michael Fallon: Our immediate objective is to implement those elements of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) that were agreed at the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali in December last year. Trade facilitation, worth in itself almost half of the value of DDA, represents the bulk of the deal. This was accompanied by agreements in agriculture and development issues. The remaining elements of the DDA are agriculture, non-agricultural market access, and trade in services and we would like to move forward on all of these, although we cannot be sure of quick progress on all elements.

UK Trade and Investment

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much UK Trade & Investment has spent in the (a) production and (b) postage of promotional materials to hon. Members in each year since 2010.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) does not normally provide promotional material to hon. Members and does not hold a complete record since 2010 of instances where promotional items may have been provided. However UKTI recognises that that hon. Members have significant access to companies in their constituencies to communicate the support that UKTI can provide to companies willing to consider exporting. To this end campaign material including a GREAT Britain poster has been supplied to each hon. Member to display in their constituency offices at a cost of £17,800.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many representations were received in response to the Environmental Statement on (a) the High Speed 2 project and (b) the High Speed 2/High Speed 1 link project;
	(2)  how many representations from Londoners were received in response to the Environmental Statement on (a) the High Speed 2 project and (b) the High Speed 2/High Speed 1 link project;
	(3)  how many representations were received in response to the Environmental Statement on (a) the High Speed 2 project and (b) the High Speed 2/High Speed 1 link project in each week of the consultation.

Robert Goodwill: Following the deposit of the High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands) Bill on 25 November 2013, as required by Standing Orders, a consultation on the Environmental Statement was held. In response to this consultation 21,833 responses were received.
	The responses are not being analysed by the Department for Transport but have been passed to an independent assessor, appointed by parliamentary authorities, who will summarise the issues raised in them and provide a report directly to Parliament by 7 April.
	As a result the Department for Transport does not hold accurate information on how many responses were received from Londoners, or in relation to the HS1 Link, including figures for how many responses were received each week of the consultation.

Railway Stations: West Yorkshire

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to introduce car parking charges at rail stations in West Yorkshire as part of the Northern franchise.

Stephen Hammond: Negotiations for the northern direct award, due to run from April 2014 until February 2016, are still ongoing; an announcement will be made in due course. Having considered the matter, the direct award will not include proposals to introduce car parking charges at additional rail stations.

Railways

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Government has spent on rail services per head of population in each region of England in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows estimated Government expenditure on railways per head of population in each region of England between 2007-08 and 2012-13. Estimates for earlier years are not available.
	
		
			 Government expenditure on railways1 per head of population 
			 Region 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 North East 59 58 58 57 54 52 
			 North West 108 112 97 97 88 89 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 87 103 94 92 101 101 
			 East Midlands 59 64 42 39 35 37 
			 West Midlands 79 84 60 52 48 50 
			 East 48 34 56 53 60 58 
			 London 348 256 390 372 331 294 
			 South East 127 127 89 85 71 69 
			 South West 51 50 48 45 40 41 
			 England 123 111 120 115 106 100 
			 1 Includes expenditure on all types of railway Source: HMT, ONS 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) published by the Treasury. Expenditure is usually allocated between regions on the basis of where it occurs rather than on the basis of who benefits, as a robust methodology is not always available to allocate expenditure in this way. Therefore expenditure in one region may benefit people that live in another.
	The methods used to allocate expenditure between countries and regions may be subject to changes over time, so changes from year to year may reflect differences in methodology rather than real changes.

Mental Health

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if his Department will sign up to the Mental Health Concordat.

Jeremy Wright: The Government is fully supportive of the Mental Health Concordat albeit we are not an explicit signatory to the document. We are already working in partnership to guarantee a better service for offenders with mental health needs. For example, we are currently rolling out liaison and diversion services at police stations and criminal courts, to identify, assess and refer those with a range of vulnerabilities, including mental health issues, into treatment so that health problems can be picked up early on in the criminal justice process.

Prisons: Discipline

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) acts of active concerted indiscipline, (b) acts of passive concerted indiscipline, (c) hostage situations and (d) incidents at height occurred in the prison system between 2 and 9 March 2014.

Jeremy Wright: While the number of active concerted indiscipline, passive concerted indiscipline, hostage situations and incidents at height are available centrally, it has not been possible to provide the number occurring between 2 and 9 March 2014 at this time as they are currently subject to data validation checks.
	I will write to the right hon. Member once this data is validated to provide the information requested.

Prisons: Monitoring

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running costs were of the Independent Monitoring Board in each prison in England and Wales in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) scrutinise prisons and immigration removal centres on behalf of the Secretary of State. IMB members are volunteers who monitor the day-to-day life in their local prison and make sure that proper standards of care and decency are maintained. Annually, each board reports to the Secretary of State.
	The table provides a breakdown of running costs for Independent Monitoring Boards in each prison in England and Wales from 2010 to 2013. These figures cover travel and subsistence of IMB members and other miscellaneous expenses relating to the work of the boards at each establishment. An improved system of allocating of resources to Boards, with levels of monitoring activity agreed at the outset of the year, was put in place for 2012-13. This has reduced variation between some boards’ expenditure.
	The total IMB budget has decreased in recent years, from £3 million in 2010 to £2.2 million in 2013-14.
	
		
			  Expenditure (£) 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Acklington 8,524 9,478 2,119 
			 Albany 4,929 1,566 856 
			 Altcourse 16,409 13,801 11,503 
			 Ashfield 8,420 8,460 8,132 
			 Ashwell 3,040 484 1— 
			 Askham Grange 6,309 4,055 3,790 
			 Aylesbury 4,375 2,846 3,651 
			 Bedford 8,085 5,756 4,498 
			 Belmarsh 4,604 8,094 12,311 
			 Birmingham 8,927 3,990 6,815 
			 Blantyre House 3,989 3,985 3,978 
			 Blundeston 3,936 4,768 6,646 
			 Brindsford 7,613 6,781 5,260 
			 Bristol 8,518 8,886 8,800 
			 Brixton 1,508 1,571 1,153 
			 Bronzefield 9,023 9,944 8,380 
			 Buckley Hall 6,729 6,808 6,802 
			 Bullingdon 19,137 17,754 17,295 
			 Bullwood Hall 3,253 3,937 2,914 
			 Bure 8,305 7,568 5,812 
			 Canterbury 2,429 2,010 1,268 
			 Cardiff 17,403 12,290 9,823 
			 Castington 6,186 8,800 2,242 
			 Channings Wood 9,843 8,390 6,710 
			 Chelmsford 15,690 10,742 10,850 
			 Coldingley 4,036 5,642 4,719 
			 Cookham Wood 5,474 3,748 6,917 
			 Dartmoor 21,530 18,888 16,539 
			 Deerbolt 4,781 5,461 2,691 
			 Doncaster 7,960 7,973 8,701 
			 Dorchester 12,177 9,654 6,333 
			 Dovegate 9,878 9,765 6,730 
			 Downview 2,403 2,074 1,947 
			 Drake Hall 8,425 6,303 5,871 
			 Durham 11,677 15,263 13,461 
			 Earlestoke 6,344 7,233 4,532 
			 East Sutton Park 3,354 2,876 3,086 
			 Eastwood Park 11,332 6,134 5,133 
			 Edmond's Hill 10,772 5,703 5,681 
			 Elmley 15,819 17,707 17,875 
			 Everthorpe 10,842 10,249 10,563 
			 Exeter 13,023 8,021 8,685 
		
	
	
		
			 Featherstone 5,749 6,733 8,538 
			 Feltham 7,827 6,703 6,285 
			 Ford 9,101 9,872 7,197 
			 Forest Bank 12,547 10,065 12,878 
			 Foston Hall 3,905 4,370 5,376 
			 Frankland 12,719 14,419 11,267 
			 Full Sutton 13,486 11,042 13,061 
			 Garth 10,196 11,347 11,023 
			 Gartree 8,469 6,610 5,830 
			 Glen Parva 5,902 5,374 5,572 
			 Gloucester 7,295 7,719 5,869 
			 Grendon 5,876 6,344 5,833 
			 Guy's Marsh 8,891 6,696 6,554 
			 Haverigg 8,067 9,131 8,734 
			 Hewell 11,572 11,691 10,492 
			 Highdown 9,831 9,052 6,706 
			 Highpoint 15,085 13,494 12,863 
			 Hindley 7,739 7,284 5,889 
			 Hollesley Bay 6,745 7,536 6,790 
			 Holloway 6,129 4,071 2,663 
			 Holme House 5,505 7,223 7,216 
			 Hull 5,363 4,734 3,831 
			 Huntercombe 6,081 5,317 4,735 
			 Isis 2,192 5,853 4,962 
			 Isle of Wight 4,182 12,082 12,148 
			 Kennet 4,075 3,885 5,229 
			 Kingston 3,895 3,099 3,694 
			 Kirkham 3,496 2,374 1,984 
			 Kirlevington Grange 3,971 1,026 510 
			 Lancaster Castle 2,920 168 1— 
			 Lancaster Farms 9,210 8,145 8,909 
			 Latchmere House 1,631 881 257 
			 Leeds 6,103 4,099 4,127 
			 Leicester 2,899 2,231 1,600 
			 Lewes 12,109 11,372 10,877 
			 Leyhill 4,146 4,283 3,372 
			 Lincoln 10,697 9,906 10,198 
			 Lindholme 17,783 19,190 16,132 
			 Littlehey 16,402 13,722 11,447 
			 Liverpool 13,409 11,448 7,649 
			 Long Lartin 17,923 20,144 14,182 
			 Low Newton 4,006 5,146 5,058 
			 Lowdham Grange 10,071 5,545 8,488 
			 Maidstone 6,788 4,593 4,406 
			 Manchester 15,220 15,583 13,151 
			 Moorland 16,193 17,793 13,186 
			 Morton Hall 15,786 16,906 13,121 
			 New Hall 10,945 9,619 8,278 
			 North Sea Camp 5,154 2,317 1,729 
			 Northallerton 6,317 5,528 6,703 
			 Northumberland — — 5,273 
			 Norwich 13,975 13,267 13,084 
			 Nottingham 4,423 757 2,165 
			 Oakington 4,593 1— — 
			 Oakwood — — 1,168 
			 Onley 8,910 7,026 7,068 
			 Parc 12,139 9,568 7,310 
			 Parkhurst 9,534 1,165 1— 
			 Pentonville 1,295 556 729 
		
	
	
		
			 Peterborough 14,096 11,805 9,188 
			 Portland 5,654 3,878 3,170 
			 Preston 5,907 5,625 4,625 
			 Ranby 11,083 1,486 10,014 
			 Reading 5,903 3,717 5,285 
			 Risley 13,329 10,290 11,158 
			 Rochester 5,323 3,489 4,047 
			 Rye Hill 14,074 13,281 13,206 
			 Send 5,281 4,801 4,089 
			 Shepton Mallet 6,762 4,277 5,682 
			 Shrewsbury 3,272 4,205 2,528 
			 Stafford 5,043 5,646 4,200 
			 Standford Hill 8,420 9,306 10,453 
			 Stocken 11,257 14,340 13,748 
			 Stoke Heath 14,992 15,041 14,315 
			 Styal 4,723 3,907 3,169 
			 Sudbury 6,580 4,594 3,847 
			 Swaleside 14,515 13,408 14,299 
			 Swansea 3,624 2,413 2,839 
			 Swinfen Hall 3,369 2,832 2,557 
			 Thameside — — 946 
			 The Mount 10,519 13,333 9,455 
			 The Verne 8,082 8,240 8,439 
			 Thorncross 4,265 3,292 3,986 
			 Usk and Prescoed 5,829 4,799 4,516 
			 Wakefield 12,357 10,918 9,162 
			 Wandsworth 3,351 3,721 2,656 
			 Warren Hill 4,672 4,697 3,757 
			 Wayland 17,195 12,229 11,993 
			 Wealstun 6,822 8,224 5,788 
			 Wellingborough 9,482 9,736 10,602 
			 Werrington 4,014 2,843 2,012 
			 Wetherby 8,041 7692 6,815 
			 Whatton 13,836 10,378 12,832 
			 Whitemoor 16,157 12,049 12,614 
			 Winchester 9,719 7,829 9,309 
			 Wolds 3,881 5,998 4,493 
			 Woodhill 9,189 4,810 7,595 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 4,445 5,600 2,293 
			 Wymott 2,781 2,897 2,770 
			 Total 1,142,806 1,019,710 956,801 
			 1 Closed.

Reparation by Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department maintains a public register of restorative justice and similar schemes operating in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The Government is committed to ensuring that restorative justice is victim-focused, of a good quality and available at all stages of the criminal justice system across England and Wales. That is why we are providing almost £23 million to Police and Crime Commissioners over the years 2013-14 to 2015-16 to deliver victim-initiated and pre-sentence restorative justice.
	The Ministry of Justice does not maintain a public register of restorative justice schemes operating in England and Wales. However, the Ministry has provided funding to the Restorative Justice Council to assist Police and Crime Commissioners to map the services available in their areas.

Abortion

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which official body has responsibility for ensuring that HSA4 forms are correctly filled out; whether he plans to provide details of the procedures that are used by that body to investigate incomplete HSA4 forms to ensure that the terminations in question were legally and safely conducted; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: A practitioner terminating a pregnancy has a legal duty to submit form HSA4 to the Chief Medical Officer within 14 days of the termination and to certify to the best of their knowledge that the information contained in the forms is correct. Every form is checked for compliance with the Abortion Act by Department officials, authorised by the Chief Medical Officer. Selected forms are also scrutinised by a Department medical adviser. Forms with missing information are returned to the practitioner, and if the revised forms are not returned within six weeks, reminders will be sent regularly until the information is received. The Department has published detailed guidance on the completion of HSA4 forms.

Calderdale Royal Hospital

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have accessed treatment at Calderdale Royal Hospital in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The data requested is not collected centrally. Information is available at national health service trust level, but not at hospital site level.
	Information on the number of admitted patient care finished admission episodes, accident and emergency (A&E) attendances (including planned attendances), and attended outpatient appointments for all hospital sites managed by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, is shown in the following table
	
		
			 Year Month Admitted patient care-finished admission episodes A&E attendances Attended out-patient appointments 
			 2008-09 Total 105,937 131,729 391,803 
			 2009-10 Total 111,364 130,906 393,769 
			 2010-11 Total 117,732 134,525 386,772 
			 2011-12 Total 120,510 138,646 391,706 
			 2012-13 Total 119,992 141,139 392,765 
			      
			 2012-13 April 9,455 11,286 30,386 
			 2012-13 May 10,606 12,228 37,018 
			 2012-13 June 9,877 11,904 30,889 
			 2012-13 July 10,297 12,350 33,703 
			 2012-13 August 10,096 11,737 32,583 
			 2012-13 September 9,418 11,750 31,865 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 October 10,554 11,895 36,689 
			 2012-13 November 10,508 11,426 35,345 
			 2012-13 December 9,794 12,775 28,117 
			 2012-13 January 10,105 11,223 34,674 
			 2012-13 February 9,317 10,640 31,094 
			 2012-13 March 9,965 11,925 30,402 
			 Notes: 1. These figures do not represent the number of patients as it is possible for an individual to have one or more episodes of care or hospital attendances in any given period. 2. Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 3. Assessing growth through time (In-patients) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 4. Assessing growth through time (A&E) HES figures are available from 2007-08 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 5. Assessing growth through time (Out-patients) HES figures are available from 2003-04 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Congenital Abnormalities

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ground E abortions for cleft palate were diagnosed by (a) ultrasound and (b) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what other methods of diagnosis were listed under other; and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in the same period.

Jane Ellison: This information cannot be provided. Cleft lip and palate is associated with other fetal abnormalities. It is therefore not possible to extract from Form HSA4 the method used to diagnose cleft lip and palate in isolation from the other abnormalities that have been listed.

Hospital Beds: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) change and (b) percentage change there was in the estimated number of delayed discharges in each London hospital trust in each of the last four years.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Average number of patients delayed 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2009 vs. 2010 change 2009 vs. 2010 % change 
			 Havering PCT 9.3 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 -8.3 -89.3 
			 Barnet PCT 2.6 4.3 10.0 0.0 0.0 1.8 67.7 
			 Enfield PCT 2.7 0.5 0.8 0.0 0.0 -2.2 -81.3 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 6.0 1.4 4.3 0.0 0.0 -4.6 -76.4 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 6.3 7.4 6.6 0.0 0.0 1.2 18.7 
			 Newham PCT 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 — 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 2.0 1.8 2.3 0.0 0.0 -0.3 -12.5 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 4.9 2.3 5.6 0.0 0.0 -2.6 -525 
			 Camden PCT 3.3 3.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 -0.2 -7.0 
			 Islington PCT 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 — 
			 Lambeth PCT 0.0 1.1 0.8 0.0 0.0 1.1 — 
			 Southwark PCT 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 — 
			 Wandsworth PCT 1.3 2.9 2.3 0.0 0.0 1.7 133.3 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 5.2 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 -4.8 -93.5 
			 Redbridge PCT 1.9 2.5 4.4 0.0 0.0 0.6 30.4 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 4.7 3.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 -1.3 -27.1 
			 Barts Health NHS Trust 25.2 35.3 41.0 39.5 49.6 10.1 40.1 
			 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 6.7 7.1 9.0 6.8 5.4 0.4 6.2 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 1.0 1.4 2.4 2.9 3.2 0.4 41.7 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 9.3 9.1 6.5 8.6 8.3 -0.2 -1.8 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2.0 3.4 1.3 1.2 3.3 1.4 70.8 
			 North East London NHS Foundation Trust 11.8 7.3 13.4 23.1 17.4 -4.5 -38.0 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 21.5 11.8 12.4 16.0 14.4 -9.8 -45.3 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 9.4 13.7 7.6 14.4 11.3 4.3 45.1 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS trust 43.8 46.1 45.4 41.6 18.8 2.3 5.1 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 13.3 11.1 3.3 4.4 9.4 -2.3 -16.9 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 10.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 -10.7 -100.0 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 12.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 -12.7 -100.0 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 2.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 -2.3 -100.0 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 2.7 6.5 10.7 8.9 9.4 3.8 143.8 
			 Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust 13.0 13.1 5.6 9.3 7.6 0.1 0.6 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 5.8 7.1 10.8 6.8 8.4 1.3 21.4 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 8.9 7.5 12.3 7.9 6.4 -1.4 -15.9 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 8.8 12.5 4.5 4.2 5.5 3.8 42.9 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 5.2 5.3 6.1 5.8 7.4 0.2 3.2 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 41.1 27.3 28.1 25.4 37.3 -13.8 33.5 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.1 0.1 100.0 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 17.9 19.7 10.3 10.9 13.2 1.8 10.1 
			 The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 0.6 0.1 0.9 0.7 0.4 -0.5 -85.0 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 3.5 2.8 2.9 2.9 5.8 -0.8 -21.4 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS foundation Trust 1.9 7.3 9.8 14.1 10.3 5.4 282.6 
			 South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust 24.1 18.5 17.2 10.4 10.1 -5.6 -23.2 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 19.2 17.0 17.1 14.1 21.8 -2.2 11.9 
		
	
	
		
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 3.3 0.5 1.5 0.9 14.2 -2.8 -84.6 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust 2.3 3.8 6.6 3.1 0.6 1.5 66.7 
			 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust 40.4 44.2 42.8 53.8 38.1 3.8 9.3 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 19.5 8.7 9.8 23.8 26.9 -10.8 -55.6 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 16.8 15.3 13.7 16.0 17.1 -1.4 -8.5 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 14.5 16.4 13.9 15.9 16.9 1.9 13.2 
			 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 12.8 12.7 19.4 14.8 19.2 -0.2 1.3 
			 East London NHS Foundation Trust 16.3 20.7 27.3 21.9 21.4 4.3 26.5 
			 Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust 0.0 0.0 0.7 1.1 2.2 0.0 — 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 25.0 23.8 22.9 22.7 21.1 0.0 0.0 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 17.0 16.0 18.8 11.4 14.2 0.0 0.0 
			 Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust 0.0 0.0 13.0 9.0 12.1 0.0 — 
			 Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust 2.9 4.2 3.9 2.5 5.1 1.3 42.9 
			 Source: NHS England statistics        
		
	
	
		
			  2010 vs. 2011 change 2010 vs. 2011 % change 2011 vs. 2012 change 2011 vs. 2012 % change 2012 vs. 2013 change 2012 vs. 2013 % change 
			 Havering PCT 0.0 0.0 -1.0 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Barnet PCT 5.7 130.8 -10.0 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Enfield PCT 0.3 63.6 -0.8 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 2.9 203.5 -4.3 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT -0.8 -11.4 -6.6 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Newham PCT -0.6 -100.0 0.0 — 0.0 — 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 0.6 33.3 -2.3 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 3.3 141.6 -5.6 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Camden PCT -3.1 -100.0 0.0 — 0.0 — 
			 Islington PCT 0.0 — 0.0 — 0.0 — 
			 Lambeth PCT -0.4 -34.4 -0.8 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Southwark PCT 0.0 — 0.0 — 0.0 — 
			 Wandsworth PCT -0.6 -20.0 -2.3 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 0.0 0.0 -0.3 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Redbridge PCT 1.9 77.8 -4.4 -100.0 0.0 — 
			 Waltham Forest PCT -3.4 -100.0 0.0 — 0.0 — 
			 Barts Health NHS Trust 5.8 16.3 -1.5 -3.7 10.1 26 
			 Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 1.9 27.1 -2.3 -25.0 -1.3 -20 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 1.0 70.6 0.5 20.7 0.3 9 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust -2.6 -28.4 2.1 32.1 -0.3 -4 
			 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust -2.2 -63.4 -0.1 -6.7 2.1 179 
			 North East London NHS Foundation Trust 6.1 83.0 9.7 72.0 -5.7 -25 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 0.7 5.7 3.6 28.9 -1.6 -10 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust -6.1 -44.5 6.8 90.1 -3.1 -21 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS trust -0.7 -1.4 -3.8 -8.4 -22.8 -55 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust -7.8 -70.7 1.2 35.9 5.0 113 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 0.0 — 0.0 — 0.0 — 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 — 0.0 — 0.0 — 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 0.0 — 0.0 — 0.0 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 4.2 64.1 -1.8 -16.4 0.5 6 
			 Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust -7.5 -57.3 3.7 65.7 -1.7 -18 
			 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust 3.7 51.8 -4.0 -37.2 1.7 25 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 4.8 64.4 -4.4 -35.8 -15 -19 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust -8.0 -64.0 -0.3 -7.4 1.3 32 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 0.8 14.1 -0.3 -4.1 1.6 27 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 0.8 2.7 -2.7 -9.5 11.8 47 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 0.0 0.0 0.4 250.0 -0.5 -86 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust -9.4 -47.6 0.6 5.6 2.3 21 
			 The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 0.8 1000.0 -0.3 -27.3 -0.3 -38 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 0.2 6.1 0.0 0.0 2.8 97 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS foundation Trust 2.5 34.1 4.3 43.2 -3.8 -27 
			 South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust -1.3 -7.2 -6.8 -39.3 -0.3 -3 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 0.1 0.5 -3.0 -17.6 7.7 54 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1.0 200.0 -0.6 -38.9 13.3 1445 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust 2.8 75.6 -3.5 -53.2 -2.5 -81 
			 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust -1.3 -3.0 11.0 25.7 -15.8 -29 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 1.2 13.5 13.9 1415 3.2 13 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust -1.7 -10.9 2.3 17.1 1.1 7 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust -2.5 -15.2 2.0 14.4 1.0 6 
			 Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 6.8 53.3 -4.7 -24.0 4.4 30 
			 East London NHS Foundation Trust 6.6 31.9 -5.3 -19.6 -0.5 -2 
			 Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust 0.7 — 0.4 62.5 1.1 100 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust -0.9 -3.8 -0.3 -1.1 -1.6 -7 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 2.8 17.7 -7.4 -39.4 2.8 25 
			 Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust 13.0 — -4.0 -30.8 3.1 34 
			 Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust -0.3 6.0 -1.4 -36.2 2.6 103 
			 Source: NHS England statistics

Medical Records: Databases

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies outside the NHS have received NHS patient data over the last 10 years; what data was provided; and how much was charged for that data in each case.

Daniel Poulter: Sir Nick Partridge, a Non-Executive Director on the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Board has agreed to conduct an audit of all the data releases made by the predecessor organisation, NHS Information Centre, from its inception on 1 April 2005 and report on this to the HSCIC Board by the end of April 2014.
	A report is to be published on 2 April detailing all data released under the HSCIC, since April 2013, including the legal basis on which data was released and the purpose to which the data is being put. The report will be updated on a quarterly basis and is intended to encourage public scrutiny of HSCIC decisions.

Medical Records: Databases

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has concluded a memorandum of understanding with US medical authorities over the future sharing of NHS patient data.

Daniel Poulter: A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), NHS England, the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the United States Department of Human and Health Services on the 23 January 2014 on a collaboration of work on health information technology and open data. There are no plans in this working agreement to share any patient identifiable information between countries.
	A copy of the signed memorandum of understanding has been placed in the Library.

Medical Records: Databases

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether patients can opt out of their hospital data being shared or uploaded to anyone who does not directly provide them with care.

Daniel Poulter: Patients should talk to their care provider if they object to information that identifies them being shared or uploaded to anyone who does not directly provide them with care.
	The NHS Constitution does say individuals have a right to object to the disclosure of personal confidential data about them and they have a right to have any reasonable objections considered. In addition, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has given a commitment that in relation to data held in general practitioner records, individuals' objections to disclosure to the Health and Social Information Centre will be respected.

Medical Records: Genetics

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what work has been done by NHS England to consider how genomic sequencing data might be held, connected to patient records and used;
	(2)  whether genomic data will be extracted as part of care.data;
	(3)  whether proposed links between care.data and genetic data will be reviewed by an independent ethics committee;
	(4)  whether PA Consulting or any other commercial company has or will have access to NHS genomic data;
	(5)  whether informed consent must be obtained before genomic data is (a) taken from patients and (b) stored.

Jane Ellison: Genomic data is vital for patient care and research. Access to genomic data is controlled under the same national health service safeguards as other patient data as outlined in the Data Protection Act 1998. Under the Human Tissue Act 2004 it is an offence to analyse DNA for diagnosis or research without consent.
	NHS England, the Department and Genomics England are in discussions about the future use of genetic and genomic data for health care and research as part of the Prime Minister's commitment to introduce the benefits of genomic technology for NHS patients.
	The Board of Genomics England is advised by an independent Ethics Committee chaired by Professor Michael Parker. It is made up of patients and experts on ethics who will ensure that the project has regard to a wide range of relevant ethical issues.

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with North West Ambulance Service Trust about delays in attending call-outs.

Jane Ellison: No Ministers in the Department have held such discussions with the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
	The most recent performance data (January 2014) shows that North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust has met all three national response time standards. These data are published by NHS England on a monthly basis and can be found at the following link:
	www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Government Departments: Charities

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much each Government department has allocated to charitable, benevolent or philanthropic institutions to deliver programmes through the Charities Act 2006 to date.

Nick Hurd: Cabinet Office is investing £470 million over the spending review period directly to support charities and voluntary groups. In most cases these payments are made under the Charities Act 2006.
	Data on the legal powers exercised to make these and previous allocations to charitable, benevolent and philanthropic institutions by the Cabinet Office are not held.

Government Departments: Standards

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many consultants have been engaged in the Crown Oversight Function since its creation; what each of their job roles were; and how much has been paid in consultancy fees to date;
	(2)  how many civil servants of what grades have been employed on the Crown Oversight Function since its creation.

Francis Maude: Prior to the last general election the civil service lacked commercial and procurement skills. This Government's commercial and procurement reforms saved taxpayers £3.8 billion last year alone. The Government is strengthening central procurement skills to ensure further savings can be realised. The Crown Oversight Function was created on 1 November 2013 and has 52 civil service roles. Further details will be available via the Department's organogram. Consultants were not employed at Government expense.

Access to Work Programme

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what consultation his Department undertook with deaf users of the Access to Work scheme and their representative groups prior to introducing recent restrictions on the funding available for communication support through that scheme; and what alternative cost-reduction measures his Department considered;
	(2)  whether his Department undertook (a) an impact assessment and (b) consultation with deaf and deafblind users of Access to Work, their representative organisations and with employers prior to the implementation of Access to Work funding limitations for the provision of communication support for deaf and deafblind people in the workplace;
	(3)  whether his Department applies quotas to different disability groups for funding available through Access to Work; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many fraudulent claims were received by Access to Work for communication support for deaf and deafblind people in each year for which figures are available;
	(5)  what proportion of his Department's Access to Work budget was spent on communication support for (a) deaf and (b) deafblind individuals in each year for which figures are available;
	(6)  what estimate his Department has made of the market value of a NRCPD-registered sign language interpreter; and how this estimate was used during the identification of an appropriate Access to Work funding cap for a full-time sign language interpreter;
	(7)  what estimate he has made of potential additional financial costs for employers resulting from newly implemented restrictions on Access to work funding for communications support for deaf and deafblind people; and what consultation he undertook with employers of deaf people on that matter;
	(8)  what assessment his Department made of the potential effect on deaf and deafblind people of restrictions on access to work funding for the provision of communication support for such people prior to the introduction of those restrictions;
	(9)  how many (a) deaf and (b) deafblind people have employed a full-time communication professional following recent changes in the implementation of access to work guidance;
	(10)  what the surplus or deficit of the Access to Work budget was in each financial year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(11)  what guidance is provided to deaf and deafblind users of the Access to Work scheme regarding that scheme's complaints procedure and the process for requesting a decision review.

Michael Penning: Access to Work supports employed people with all types of disability; the budget is not allocated to particular disability groups in advance of applications. Existing policies on the cost effective funding of full time support workers are being enforced to ensure the programme remains available for new applicants.
	Access to Work supports employed people with all types of disability; the budget is not allocated to particular disability groups in advance of applications. Existing policies on the cost effective funding of full time support workers are being enforced to ensure the programme remains available for new applicants.
	There are no quotas applied to customer numbers or funding for particular disability groups.
	There are currently a small number of investigations where charges have been made and are due to be heard in court over the summer months. We continue to monitor the system for abuse.
	Please note that DWP only has information based on Primary Disability type. Therefore total spend on hearing impaired customers is shown, this includes other Access to Work support. However spend relating to Deafblind customers is not available from our records.
	
		
			 Department of Work and Pensions—Access To Work (ATW) 
			  Number of people helped with hearing impairments Amount spent on hearing impairment (£ million) Total ATW customers Total ATW spend (£ million) 
			 2008-09 4,950 21.7 32,130 69 
			 2009-10 5,450 28.5 37,280 98 
			 2010-11 5,300 32.7 35,820 107 
			 2011-12 4,960 34.1 30,780 93 
			 2012-13 5,250 34.5 31,460 95.3

Industrial Health and Safety

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Health and Safety Executive Approved Codes of Practice (a) have been reviewed since May 2010, (b) are scheduled for review or amendment and (c) are not currently scheduled for review.

Michael Penning: Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reviewing all of its Approved Codes of Practices (ACOP) in line with Professor L?fstedt's independent review of health and safety legislation, 'Reclaiming health and safety for all' (published November 2011).
	(a) 19 ACOPs have been reviewed since May 2010. Of these, five have been revised and re-published, nine consolidated into three revised ACOPs and five withdrawn completely. These are:
	Revised
	L5—Control of substances hazardous to health
	L8—Legionnaires' disease. The Control of legionella bacteria in water systems
	L24—Workplace health, safety and welfare
	L117—Rider-operated lift trucks: Operator training
	L118—Health and safety at quarries.
	Consolidated
	L56—Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances. This is a consolidation of two ACOPs (L56 and COP20: Standards of training in safe gas installation) into a single revised ACOP (L56)
	L138—Dangerous substances and explosive atmospheres consolidated the following five ACOPs into a single revised ACOP (L138):
	L134—Design of plant, equipment and workplace
	L135—Storage of dangerous substances
	L136—Control and mitigation measures
	L137—Safe maintenance, repair and cleaning procedures
	L138—Dangerous substances and explosive atmospheres
	L143—Managing and working with Asbestos. This is a consolidation of two ACOPs (L127—The management of asbestos in non-domestic premises and L143—Work with materials containing asbestos) into a single revised ACOP (L143).
	Withdrawn
	L21—Management of health and safety at work
	L74—First aid at work
	L81—Design, construction and installation of gas service pipes
	L116—Preventing accidents to children in agriculture
	L130—Compilation of safety data sheets.
	(b) A review of a further 14 ACOPS will be completed by the end of 2014. These are:
	COP25 Safety in docks to be replaced by L148 Safety in docks ACOP
	Five Diving ACOPs:
	L103—Commercial diving projects offshore
	L104—Commercial diving projects inland/inshore
	L105—Recreational diving projects
	L106—Media diving projects
	L107—Scientific and archaeological diving projects.
	Three Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations linked ACOPs:
	L22—Safe use of work equipment
	L112—Safe use of power presses
	L114—Safe use of woodworking machinery
	L113-Safe use of lifting equipment
	L101—Safe work in confined spaces
	L122—Safety of pressure systems
	L133—Unloading petrol from road tankers
	L146—Consulting workers on health and safety.
	A further 19 ACOPs associated with changes to legislation and will be reviewed in accordance with the timescale for legislative change.
	(c) All HSE ACOPs are scheduled for review.

Labour Force Survey

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect (a) generally and (b) on ease of comparisons with previous years of collecting work-related ill-health data through the Labour Force Survey biennially instead of annually.

Michael Penning: Experience from collecting work-related ill health data through the Labour Force Survey from 2003-04 to 2011-12 indicated that figures rarely changed significantly year-on-year. The main value in the data is in comparisons over longer time periods and in combining survey years to look at detailed sub-populations.
	Work-related ill health data for 2013-14 has been collated and will be published in the autumn.

Pensioners

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the pension entitlement is of people of pensionable age who served long sentences in prison.

Steve Webb: A persons entitlement to the contributory state pension is dependent on the national insurance contributions they have paid or had credited to them over their working life (from the age of 16 up to the year before they reach state pension age) which builds up qualifying years. This will also be the case for the new single tier pension, but with a requirement to have a minimum number of qualifying years.
	A person who has served a long prison sentence during their working life is likely to have a below average entitlement to contributory state pension. However, pension credit is available where the person's (and partner's) income from all sources is inadequate.

Post Office Card Account

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his policy is on the payment of benefits into post office card accounts;
	(2)  what his policy is on the payment of pensions into post office card accounts.

Steve Webb: The Department pays benefits and pensions by direct payment into a bank, building society, credit union or post office card account.
	The post office card account is a very simple account with limited functionality. Our policy has always been clear that the best option, especially for people of working age, is an account that can accept payments from employers and has transactional facilities such as direct debits for the payment of bills and housing costs.
	The Department is currently in discussions with Post Office Ltd and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to consider the future needs of customers beyond 2015.

Post Office Card Account

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Post Office Limited and (b) the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters on the future use of the Post Office Card Account;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the future use of the Post Office Card Account; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the future use of the Post Office Card Account.

Steve Webb: The Post Office card account (POca) contract expires in March 2015 with the possibility of a two-year extension beyond that date.
	The POca is a very simple account designed for the receipt of pensions and legacy benefits. It cannot be used for the payment of wages/salaries and does not offer transactional services such as direct debits so will not be suitable for the majority of working age claimants eligible for universal credit.
	No decision has been made on the future of the POca but discussions are currently taking place between DWP, Post Office Ltd and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to consider the future needs of customers beyond 2015 and any announcement on this matter will be made in due course.
	Ministers and officials have also met with relevant stakeholders, including the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters to discuss POca related issues.

Post Office Card Account: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington currently have benefits of which type paid into a Post Office card account.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested as data held relates to payment accounts rather than people. A customer may receive benefits in the form of a separate payment for each benefit to which they are entitled or a single, combined payment. Each of these payments is termed a payment account which would be paid into the same Post Office card account.
	The number of payment accounts paid into a Post Office card account split by benefit type in Warrington local authority as at February 2013 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of payment accounts paid via a Post Office card account by benefit type in Warrington local authority: February 2013 
			  Number 
			 Total Benefits paid via Post Office card accounts 9,540 
			 Attendance Allowance 390 
			 Bereavement Benefit 10 
			 Disability Living Allowance 1,260 
			 Employment and Support Allowance 610 
			 Incapacity Benefit 200 
			 Carer's Allowance 170 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit 190 
			 Income Support 480 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 440 
		
	
	
		
			 Pension Credit 1,730 
			 State Pension 3,970 
			 Severe Disablement Benefit 90 
			 Widow's Benefit 10 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures refer to payment accounts. Claimants with more than one account will be counted for each account. Figures only relate to accounts live and in payment on the specified date. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate, 100% data

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work his Department has commissioned on the use by migrants of UK welfare systems.

Esther McVey: The previous government did not collect data; we are rectifying this and the data collected on migrants' use of the welfare system continues to grow as the current welfare reforms are rolled out. For example, under the recently strengthened habitual residence test we have started to record nationality and immigration status.
	Under universal credit we will also make better records of claimants’ circumstances including nationality.

Unemployed People: New Businesses

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to promote small business entrepreneurial skills for people who are currently unemployed.

Esther McVey: The Government is keen to promote and provide support to help people start and build their own business. One of the ways we are doing this is through the new enterprise allowance (NEA).
	The NEA provides access to business mentoring and financial support for people on benefits interested in starting up their own business. The financial support consists of a weekly allowance payable over 26 week's worth up to £1,274. If participants need start-up capital they may also apply for an unsecured loan through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills start-up loan scheme.
	So far 32,520 businesses have been created and 56,700 claimants have started working with a mentor.
	We announced in the autumn statement our intention to extend the scheme through to 2015-16.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether the Universal Credit system will accept new claims for employment and support allowance by the end of 2016;
	(2)  whether claimants who begin claiming employment and support allowance prior to new claims being accepted by the Universal Credit system will be transferred to the universal credit system by the start of 2017 or end of 2017;
	(3)  whether the universal credit system will accept (a) any and (b) all new claims for employment and support allowance at the start of 2017 or end of 2017.

Esther McVey: While the majority of the legacy caseload will move to universal credit during 2016 and 2017, claimants in receipt of income based employment and support allowance (ESA) will retain their current arrangements during this period unless there is a relevant change in their circumstances. Final decisions on the implementation of the programme will be informed by the development of the enhanced digital solution.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the claimants who have returned to Jobcentre Plus after 104 weeks on the Work Programme are attached to each jobcentre in the UK; and what proportion of each jobcentre's caseload such people represent.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of claimants, who have returned to Jobcentre Plus after 104 weeks on the Work programme, by Jobcentre Plus district, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance
	In order to calculate the proportions, statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants by jobcentre plus district can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
	Guidance for users can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Army Helicopter Capability

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on upgrading army helicopter capability; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The Government are committed to providing the armed forces with the helicopter capability required to deliver Future Force 2020. For the Army this includes the Apache and Wildcat battlefield helicopters.
	We expect the Army variant of the Wildcat helicopter to achieve Initial Operating Capability later this year, and to fully replace the in-service Lynx Mk7 and Mk9a fleets later this decade.
	In addition, as the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced at the end of January, we have recently placed a contract worth £430 million with Agusta Westland to support the Apache fleet for the next five years, and are currently considering options to sustain this fleet until its planned out of service date in 2040.

Army Recruitment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve the Army’s recruitment process.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said on 14 January 2014, Official Report, columns 715-16, we are taking a number of steps to improve recruiting performance. These include the major recruiting campaign currently under way for Regular Army and Army Reserve personnel, highlighting the variety of roles and skills available in the Army, an improved offer to Reservists, and a more efficient application and medical assessment process for all candidates.

Capita

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of the break clauses in each contract his Department currently holds with Capita.

Philip Dunne: In any contract, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) can include a 'break clause' that allows it to terminate a contract at its convenience before the expiry of its term. This may be required to respond to changes to Government policy or other unexpected events.
	The MOD has a standard break clause (Defence Condition (DEFCON) 656); the general terms of which include actions the MOD wants the contractor to take in the event of a break, the types of liabilities that will fall to the MOD and the general principle that MOD liability will not exceed the contract price. Individual contracts may have specific terms attached to the clause but in most cases they do not have a monetary value associated with them.
	DEFCON 656 states that break clauses must be included in all goods and service contracts due to last nine months or more and which have a value over £250,000, or in any contract below that threshold where there is a risk that the customer may withdraw the requirement.
	Separate provisions in contracts cover instances when the MOD may terminate a contract if a supplier breaches the terms and requirements of the contract.
	Only one MOD contract with Capita has a monetary value associated with its break clause. This contract is related to the provision of theatre network services and I am withholding the value as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Cyprus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new planning regime for non-military development in the Cyprus Sovereign Base areas will be subject to public consultation before it its introduced.

Mark Francois: The framework for introducing formal planning zones and policies for the regulation of development in the Sovereign Base Areas is currently being prepared by the Sovereign Base Areas Administration and the Republic of Cyprus. It has not yet been completed. The procedures normally applied in the Republic of Cyprus for operating a planning regime, including the participation of local authorities, the general public and other organisations, are likely to be applied.

Military Aircraft

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) Typhoon, (b) Tornado GR4 and (c) Sentinel R1 aircraft are (i) fully serviceable, (ii) undergoing first line maintenance, (iii) undergoing second line maintenance and (iv) undergoing third and fourth line maintenance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) C-17A Globemaster, (b) Hercules C1/C3 (K), (c) Hercules C4/C5 (J), (d) Tristar and (e) VC10 aircraft are (i) fully serviceable, (ii) undergoing first line maintenance, (iii) undergoing second line maintenance and (iv) undergoing third and fourth line maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: First to Fourth line maintenance are terms no longer in use with the RAF. Aircraft are now either in the Forward or Depth Fleets. The Forward Fleet comprises aircraft which are serviceable and those which are short-term unserviceable. Short-term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification or technical inspection work that can arise on a day-to-day basis.
	The Depth Fleet comprises aircraft which are undergoing planned depth maintenance, upgrade programmes and fleet management temporary storage, but excludes those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal.
	The Hercules C1/C3(K) and VC10 fleets have been withdrawn from service and the TriStar fleet will be withdrawn from service by 31 March 2014.
	The number of aircraft available in individual fleets varies day-to-day according to normal fleet management activities. The following table shows the number of aircraft in each fleet, as a snapshot, on 11 March 2014.
	
		
			 Number 
			 Type Forward Fleet Depth Fleet 
			 Typhoon 85 32 
			 Tornado GR4 72 30 
			 Sentinel R1 3 2 
			 C-17A Globemaster 6 2 
			 Hercules C4/C5 (J) 15 9 
			 TriStar 6 0